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Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Getting Along
Amy Gallo
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
http://hbr.org/books
9781647821067, $30.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Along-Anyone-Difficult-People/dp/1647821061
Synopsis: Work relationships can be hard. The stress of dealing with difficult people dampens
our creativity and productivity, degrades our ability to think clearly and make sound decisions,
and causes us to disengage. We might lie awake at night worrying, withdraw from work, or react
in ways we later regret in the form of rolling our eyes in a meeting, snapping at colleagues, or
staying silent when we should speak up.
Too often we grin and bear it as if we have no choice. Or throw up our hands because
one-size-fits-all solutions haven't worked. But you can only endure so much thoughtless,
irrational, or malicious behavior -- there's your sanity to consider, and your career.
With the publication of "Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)",
workplace expert and Harvard Business Review podcast host Amy Gallo identifies eight familiar
types of difficult coworkers (the insecure boss, the passive-aggressive peer, the know-it-all, the
biased coworker, and others) and provides strategies tailored to dealing constructively with each
one.
She also shares principles that will help you turn things around, no matter who you're at odds
with. Taking the high road isn't easy, but Gallo offers a crucial perspective on how work
relationships really matter, as well as the compassion, encouragement, and tools you need to
prevail on your terms. She answers questions such as: Why can't I stop thinking about that nasty
email?! What's behind my problem colleague's behavior? How can I fix things if they won't
cooperate? I've tried everything -- what now?
Full of relatable, sometimes cringe-worthy examples, the latest behavioral science research, and
practical advice you can use right now, "Getting Along" is an indispensable guide to navigating
your toughest relationships at work -- and building interpersonal resilience in the process.
Critique: Timely, informative, insightful, 'real world practical', and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in
narrative style, organization, and presentation, "Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even
Difficult People)" is essential reading for anyone experienced workplace friction, discontent,
bullying, or unrealistic expectations and demands. Enhanced with the inclusion of an informative
Introduction (Can't We All Just Get Along?), sixteen pages of Notes, and a four page listing
of
Acknowledgments, "Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)" is
especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, corporate, community,
college, and university library Business Management, Communication, and Conflict Resolution
collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Getting
Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Amy Gallo (www.amyegallo.com) is a contributing editor at Harvard Business
Review. She is the author of the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict and a co-host of HBR's
Women at Work podcast. Her articles have been collected in dozens of books on emotional
intelligence, giving and receiving feedback, time management, and leadership. As a sought-after
speaker and facilitator, Gallo has helped thousands of leaders deal with conflict more effectively
and navigate complicated workplace dynamics.
Who Shot Van Gogh?
Alan Turnbull
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500024843, $24.95, HC
https://www.amazon.com/Who-Shot-Van-Gogh-Counterfacts/dp/0500024847
Synopsis: Van Gogh is one of the most famous artist in the world, yet our understanding of his
life is full of contradictions. Art historians, filmmakers, journalists, psychologists, and conspiracy
theorists have offered theories on his life and work, yet their views are often poles apart. Van
Gogh has been described as a suffering genius; a nature-loving innocent; a man of violence, a
danger to himself and others; the embodiment of peace and compassion; a religious fanatic; a
Marxist; a madman; a cultural commodity; and an investment opportunity. Where does the truth
lie and the myth begin?
"Who Shot Van Gogh?: Facts and Counterfacts About the World's Most Famous Artist" by Alan
Turnbull is an original and wide-ranging study that provokes new questions about how we see his
life and work. Divided into the recurring themes that run through the artist's life and legacy, Who
Shot Van Gogh?" presents a collage of facts and "counter-facts" about the artist, dating from his
lifetime until now, from a wide field of sources: fellow artists, friends and family, doctors and
psychoanalysts, actors and writers, theorists, crackpots, and scholars. Conflicting statements go
hand in hand with an unconventional curation of images: featuring postcards of locations
associated with the artist, photographs of a fraudster's legal trial, a children's toy, a bottle label,
and a rusty revolver.
Turnbull's biographical study presents a intermingled kaleidoscope of fact and fiction about the
world's most discussed artist (sometimes funny, sometimes heartrending, always revealing)
giving readers new insights into the artist, his work, and his legacy. Van Gogh himself would be
amazed not only to see what people have said about him, but also to grasp the global
phenomenon that he has become.
Critique: Enhanced for the readers' enjoyment with 57 illustrations, "Who Shot Van Gogh?:
Facts and Counterfacts About the World's Most Famous Artist" is essential, informative, and
thought-provoking reading for dedicated art lovers and museum goers. "Who Shot Van Golgh?"
invites all readers familiar with Van Gogh to challenge received ideas about the man and his
work -- making this fascinating study especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,
community, and academic library Artist Monograph & Biography collections in general, and
Vincent Van Gogh supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular.
Editorial Note: Alan Turnbull is a practicing artist who has lectured in painting and printmaking
at Newcastle University and numerous other art schools.
The Education Shelf
The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions
Timothy L. Fields, author
Shereem Herndon-Brown, author
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
www.press.jhu.edu
9781421444895, $21.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Familys-Guide-College-Admissions/dp/1421444895
Synopsis: Finding the right college is a challenge for all students. But Black families face
additional challenges and questions while navigating the admissions process. With the
publication of "The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about
Education, Parenting, and Race", veteran college admissions experts Timothy L. Fields and
Shereem Herndon-Brown share provocative insights and demystify this complex process to
answer important questions from where to apply to how to get in.
Fields and Herndon-Brown discuss specific concerns for Black families that are not often
addressed by school counselors or other resources. They highlight how the current social justice
movement amplifies the distinct dynamics that exist between Historically Black Colleges and
Universities and predominantly white institutions and which college choices may be best for
Black students.
Fields and Herndon-Brown pull from decades of experience to offer the savvy advice that Black
families need. Having worked on both sides of the desk (as school counselors and as college
admissions gatekeepers) they are well equipped to give parents, students, and school counselors
the information and inspiration to successfully research and navigate the admission journey.
The higher education landscape is constantly evolving, and admissions criteria have evolved with
it. Fields and Herndon-Brown cover everything from athletic recruitment and artistic talents to
financial aid and step-by-step instructions for how to get through the college search and
application processes. A list of the best colleges for Black students, a glossary of terms, a list of
notable Black college graduates, a suggested reading list, and an FAQ section round out the
guide. "The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions" is the definitive resource to begin the
complex conversation of understanding the choices that Black families face as they go through
the college admissions process at the intersection of education, parenting, and race.
Critique: Comprehensively information and exceptionally 'reader friendly' in both organization
and presentation, "The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about
Education, Parenting, and Race" is an especially and unreservedly recommended instructional
reference for highschool and community library College Selection Guide collections. For
students, family, highschool counselor, and college/university admissions personnel reading lists
it should be noted that "The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about
Education, Parenting, and Race" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.49).
Editorial Note #1: Timothy Fields (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-fields-5936758) is a
graduate of Morehouse College and senior associate dean of admissions at Emory
University.
Editorial Note #2: Shereem Herndon-Brown (www.collegevine.com/experts/profile/e/304) is a
graduate of Wesleyan University and the founder and chief education officer of Strategic
Admissions Advice, an educational consulting company specializing in the creation of college
counseling curriculum for charter schools and school districts, online essay courses, and
personalized college advice coaching.
The World History Shelf
Arthur Plantagenet
Sarah-Beth Watkins
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781399000611, $34.95, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Plantagenet-Henry-VIIIs-Illegitimate/dp/1399000616
Synopsis: Illegitimate son to Edward IV and the uncle of Henry VIII, Arthur Plantagenet's life is
an intriguing story. Raised in his father's court, he then became a trusted member of Henry VII's
household and after his death, was a prominent figure at the court of Henry VIII. Henry VIII
treated his uncle well in the early years of his reign, making him vice-admiral and then Lord
Deputy of Calais in 1533.
Arthur did the best he could in his new position in Calais over seven years, including trying to
maintain a relationship with Thomas Cromwell against a background of religious change, but
there were numerous complaints about him and his paranoid nephew's suspicions over his loyalty
grew - culminating in Lisle's arrest and imprisonment for two years with no legal reason.
Arthur was released from the Tower in 1542, yet tragically died (3 March 1542) after receiving a
diamond ring from his nephew. He was so excited that his heart (that 'gentlest living heart') failed
soon after.
We owe much of what we know about Henry VIII's uncle to the seizure and preservation of the
Lisle Letters, an impressive collection of correspondence obtained at his arrest that has
miraculously survived. Not only do they give details of Arthur's life, but they are an amazing
insight into the religious, political, culture and social background of the 16th century. Placed as
he was, Arthur Plantagenet's story gives a whole new, fresh perspective on a turbulent yet vibrant
period of history.
Critique: A masterpiece of historical scholarship by Sarah-Beth Watkins, "Arthur Plantagenet:
Henry VIII's Illegitimate Uncle" is informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of
listing of the 'Dramtis Personae', a ten page listing of References, a four page Bibliography, and a
three page Index. Exceptional in both organization, documentation, and presentation, "Arthur
Plantagenet: Henry VIII's Illegitimate Uncle" is unreservedly recommended as a critically
important addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Royal British
History/Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for
the personal reading lists of students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject that "Arthur Plantagenet: Henry VIII's Illegitimate Uncle" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Sarah-Beth Watkins's love of writing has seen her articles published in various
publications over the past twenty years. Working as a writing tutor, Sarah-Beth has condensed
her knowledge into a series of writing guides for Compass Books. Her history works are Ireland's
Suffragettes, Lady Katherine Knollys: The Unacknowledged Daughter of King Henry VIII, The
Tudor Brandons, Catherine of Braganza, Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, Anne of Cleves, The
Tragic Daughters of Charles I and Sir Francis Bryan.
Homecoming: The Scottish Years of Mary, Queen of Scots
Rosemary Goring
Birlinn Ltd.
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781780277233, $30.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Scottish-Years-Queen-Scots/dp/1780277237
Synopsis: One of the most famous queens in history, Mary Stuart (8 December 1542 - 8 February
1587) lived in her homeland for just twelve years: as a dauntless child who laughed at her
friends seasickness as they sailed to safety in France and later, on her return as a 18-year-old
widow to take control of a nation riven with factions, dissent and religious strife. Brief though
her time in Scotland was, her experience profoundly in uenced who she was and what happened
to her.
With the publication of "Homecoming: The Scottish Years of Mary, Queen of Scots", author and
historian Rosemary Goring tells the story of Mary's Scottish years through the often dramatic and
atmospheric locations and settings where the events that shaped her life took place and also
examines the part Scotland, and its tumultuous court and culture, played in her downfall.
Whether or not Mary Stuart emerges blameless or guilty, in this evocative retelling she can be
seen for who she really was.
Critique: An informative, deftly crafted, and thoroughly documented historical biography of a
major figure in 16th Century British/Scottish royal history, "Homecoming: The Scottish Years of
Mary, Queen of Scots" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, and academic library French, Scottish, and English 16th Century
History/Biography collections in general, and supplemental curriculum Mary Stuart studies
lists.
Editorial Note: Rosemary Goring (https://birlinn.co.uk/contributor/rosemary-goring) was born in
Dunbar and studied social and economic history at the University of St Andrews. She was the
literary editor of Scotland on Sunday, followed by a brief spell as editor of Life; Work, the
Church of Scotland's magazine, before returning to newspapers as literary editor of the Herald,
and later also of the Sunday Herald. In 2007 she published Scotland: The Autobiography: 2000
Years of Scottish History By Those Who Saw it Happen, which has since been published in
America and Russia.
Roman Legends Brought to Life
Robert Garland
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781399098526, $34.95, HC, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Legends-Brought-Robert-Garland/dp/1399098527
Synopsis: The legends of early Rome are among the most memorable of any in the world. They
are also highly instructive. They taught generations of Romans about duty and obedience. Duty
and obedience were precisely the virtues that made a Rome great empire. The legends are not,
however, merely self-congratulatory and they are rarely simple exercises in nationalist
propaganda. On the contrary, many reveal their ancestors' dark side, which they expose
unflinchingly.
As in the case of Greek mythology, there is no authorized version of any Roman legend. The
legends survived because they reminded the Romans who they were, what modest beginnings
they came from, how on many occasions their city nearly imploded, and what type of men and
women shaped their story.
Defeat, loss, failure. That's where the story of Rome (the story of the boldest, most enduring, and
most successful political experiment in human history) begins. It's the story of how a band of
refugees escaped from the ruins of a burning city and came to establish themselves hundreds of
miles to the west in the land of Hesperia, the Western Land, the land where the sun declines, aka
Italia. It's also the story of a people who by intermingling, compromise and sheer doggedness
came to dominate first their region, then the whole of peninsula Italy, and finally the entire
Mediterranean and beyond.
Critique: A work of meticulous historical scholarship that reads with all the inherent reader
engagement of an extended saga, "Roman Legends Brought to Life" is a as informative as it is
fascinating. Informatively enhanced for the reader beginning with the inclusion of 'A Mostly
Somewhat Putative Chronology', and concluding with a two page Further Reading bibliography
organized into a Modern Studies list and an Ancient Sources in Translation list, "Roman Legends
Brought to Life" is an exceptional and recommended addition to personal, scholarly, and
community library Roman History/Mythology collection. It should be noted for the personal
reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "Roman Legends Brought to Life" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$12.99).
Editorial Note: Robert Garland (https://www.colgate.edu/about/directory/rgarland) is the Roy D.
and Margaret B. Wooster Professor of the Classics at Colgate University, where he has taught for
30 years. He attended drama school before completing his Ph.D. at University College London.
In recent years he has recorded four courses for The Great Courses and written two videos for
TED Animation. Robert has published 13 academic books on both Greek and Roman history,
and has recently finished a comic historical novel. His interest is in how to make history come
alive and his most important contribution to the discipline has been to identify categories of
people who have been generally overlooked in conventional accounts of ancient history,
including the disabled and refugees.
The Ptolemies, Rise of a Dynasty: Ptolemaic Egypt 330 - 246 BC
John D. Grainger
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781399090223, $42.95, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ptolemies-Rise-Dynasty-Ptolemaic-330-246/dp/1399090224
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Ptolemies, Rise of a Dynasty: Ptolemaic Egypt 330 - 246
BC" (the first volume of a trilogy on the Ptolemies), British historian John Grainger explains how
Ptolemy I established the dynasty's power in Egypt in the wake of Alexander the Great's death.
Egypt had been independent for most of the fourth century BC, but was reconquered by the
Persian Empire in the 340s. This is essential background for Ptolemaic history since it meant that
Alexander was welcomed as a liberator and, after the tyranny of Kleomenes, so was Ptolemy.
This was the essential basis of Ptolemy's power. He conciliated the Egyptians, but reinforced his
military strength with Greek settlers, mainly retired or available soldiers. He built the city of
Alexandria, but to his own requirements, not those planned by Alexander.
The empire outside Egypt was acquired, perhaps for defense, perhaps by sheer greed. Ptolemy
took over Cyrenaica (with difficulty), Cyprus and Syria/Palestine. These had to be defended
against his rivals, hence the development of his navy, and the Syrian Wars.
The succession was carefully managed, but was not directly hereditary (Ptolemy II was not the
eldest son), and the new king was very different. He fought repeated wars in Syria, and in the
Aegean, built up his navy to the greatest seen in the ancient world, and extended his empire into
the lands of the Red Sea, Sudan and Ethiopia. He taxed the Egyptians mercilessly to fund all
these activities. Yet few of his wars were successful, and he stored up trouble for his
successors.
Critique: Along with historical maps, "The Ptolemies, Rise of a Dynasty: Ptolemaic Egypt 330 -
246 BC" also features two pages of Genealogical Tables, nineteen pages of Notes & References,
and eight page Bibliography, and a nine page Index. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization
and presentation, "The Ptolemies, Rise of a Dynasty: Ptolemaic Egypt 330 - 246 BC" is an ideal
introduction to the creation and rise of Ptolemaic era of Egypt and will leave readers looking
forward to the next two volumes from the research studies of John Grainger. While a very special
and recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library Egyptian
History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students,
scholars, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Ptolemies,
Rise of a Dynasty: Ptolemaic Egypt 330 - 246 BC" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Currently residing in Evesham, Worcestershire, UK, John D Grainger is a former
teacher and historian of great experience with a particular interest in Classical and Hellenistic
Greek history. His many previous works include the following for Pen & Sword: Hellenistic and
Roman Naval Wars (2011); The Wars of the Maccabees (2012); Roman Conquests: Egypt and
Judaea (2013); a three-part history of the Seleukid Empire (2014-16), King's and Kingship in the
Hellenistic World 350-30 BC (2017), Antipater's Dynasty (2018), Ancient Dynasties (2019), The
Roman Imperial Succession (March 2020) and The Galatians (August 2020).
Alexander the Great and Persia
Joseph Stiles
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781399094412, $34.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Great-Persia-Conqueror-King/dp/1399094416
Synopsis: Upon his return from India, Alexander the Great traveled to the Persian royal city of
Pasargadae to pay homage at the tomb of King Cyrus, founder of the Achaemenid Persian
Empire, whom he admired greatly. Disgusted to find Cyrus' tomb desecrated and looted, the
Macedonian king had the tomb guards tortured, the Persian provincial governor executed and the
tomb refurbished.
This episode involving Cyrus' tomb serves as one of many case studies in Alexander's
relationship with Persia. At times Alexander would behave pragmatically, sparing his defeated
enemies and adopting Persian customs. Sisygambis, the mother of Persian King Darius III,
allegedly came to view Alexander as a son and starved herself at the news of his demise.
On other occasions he did not shy away from destruction (famously torching the palace at
Persepolis) and cruelty, earning himself the nickname 'the accursed'. This conflicting nature gives
Alexander a complex legacy in the Persian world. Joseph Stiles explores Alexander the Great's
fascinating relationship with his 'spear-won' empire, disentangling the motives and influences
behind his policies and actions as 'King of Asia'.
Critique: A seminal work of historical/biographical scholarship, "Alexander the Great and Persia:
From Conqueror to King of Asia" is a deftly crafted, impressively informative, and exceptionally
well presented history the includes twenty pages of Notes, a six page Bibliography, and a five
page Index. An inherently fascinating and original study, "Alexander the Great and Persia: From
Conqueror to King of Asia" is an especially recommended addition to community and academic
library Ancient Greek and Mesopotamia history/biography collections. It should be noted for the
personal reading lists of readers with an interest in the subject that "Alexander the Great and
Persia: From Conqueror to King of Asia" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$12.99).
Editorial Note: Joseph Stiles has a bachelor's degree in History from Temple University and
recently gained his master's degree in World History from Norwich University, Vermont, USA,
where his research centred on Alexander the Great and his policies in the East. He now works as
a teacher and lives in suburban Philadelphia.
Rivalries that Destroyed the Roman Republic
Jeremiah McCall
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526733177, $42.95, HC, 328pp
https://www.amazon.com/Rivalries-that-Destroyed-Roman-Republic/dp/152673317X
Synopsis: "Rivalries that Destroyed the Roman Republic" is the story of how some Roman
aristocrats grew so competitive in their political rivalries that they destroyed their Republic, in
the late second to mid-first century BCE.
Politics had always been a fractious game at Rome as aristocratic competitors strove to outshine
one another in elected offices and honors, all ostensibly in the name of serving the Republic. And
for centuries it had worked -- or at least worked for these elite and elitist competitors. Enemies
were defeated, glory was spread round the ruling class, and the empire of the Republic steadily
grew. When rivalries grew too bitter, when aristocrats seemed headed toward excessive power,
the oligarchy of the Roman Senate would curb its more competitive members, fostering
consensus that allowed the system (the competitive arena for offices and honors, and the
domination of the Senate) to continue.
But as Rome came to rule much of the Mediterranean, aristocratic competitions grew too fierce;
the prizes for winning were too great. And so, a series of bitter rivalries combined with the social
and political pressures of the day to disintegrate the Republic.
"Rivalries that Destroyed the Roman Republic" is the story of those bitter rivalries from the
senatorial debates of Fabius and Scipio, to the censorial purges of Cato; from the murders of
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, to the ultimate rivalry of Caesar and Pompey. A work of historical
investigation, Rivalries that Destroyed the Roman Republic introduces readers not only to the
story of the Republic's collapse but the often-scarce and problematic evidence from which the
story of these actors and their struggles is woven.
Critique: Given the current state of American politics today, reading "Rivalries that Destroyed
the Roman Republic" by Jeremiah McCall gives a new currency to that old adage that 'Those
who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it." An impressively informative, compelling,
and thought-provoking read from first page to last, "Rivalries that Destroyed the Roman
Republic" is informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a Glossary, a listing of
ancient authors and available onlikne translations, twenty-eight pages of Notes, a three page
Bibliography, and an eight page Index. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$25.00) for students and non-specialist general readers, "Rivalries that Destroyed the Roman
Republic" is an especially recommended, core addition to community, college, and university
library Roman History collections and supplemental studies curriculum lists.
Editorial Note: Jeremiah McCall (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiah-mccall-79302527) has a
PhD in Classical History and specializes in the military history and political culture of the Roman
Republic. He teaches high school history in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a pioneering advocate of the
use of video games as a means for learning history. His previous works include The Cavalry of
the Roman Republic (2002); The Sword of Rome: A Biography of Marcus Claudius Marcellus
(Pen & Sword 2012) and Swords and Cinema: Hollywood vs the Reality of Ancient Warfare
(Pen & Sword, 2014).
The Army of Ptolemaic Egypt 323 to 204 BC
Paul Johstono
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781473833838, $42.95, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Army-Ptolemaic-Egypt-323-Institutional/dp/1473833833
Synopsis: The Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt and much of the eastern Mediterranean basin for
nearly 300 years. As a Macedonian dynasty, they derived much of their legitimacy from military
activity. As an Egyptian dynasty, they derived much of their real wealth and power from
maintaining a secure hold on their new homeland. As lords of a far-flung empire, they
maintained much of their authority through garrisons and the threat of military action. To achieve
this they devoted much of their activity to the development and maintenance of a large army and
navy.
With the publication of "The Army of Ptolemaic Egypt 323 to 204 BC: An Institutional and
Operational History", Professor Paul Johstono focuses on the period of the first four Ptolemies,
from the acquisition of Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great to the great battle of Raphia
more than a century later.
"The Army of Ptolemaic Egypt 323 to 204 BC: An Institutional and Operational History" offers
an informative study of the Ptolemaic army as an institution, and of its military operations, both
reconstructed through a wide range of ancient sources, from histories to documentary papyri and
inscriptions to archaeological finds. It also examines the reasons for Ptolemaic successes and
failures, the causes and nature of military change and reform, and the particular details of the
Ptolemaic army's soldier classes, unit organization, equipment, tactics, and the Ptolemaic state's
strategy to compile a military history of the golden age of one of the classical world's significant
forces.
Critique: A seminal and outstanding contribution to personal, professional, community, and
academic library Egyptian Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists,
"The Army of Ptolemaic Egypt 323 to 204 BC: An Institutional and Operational History" is
informative enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a section of color plates, maps, thirty
pages of Notes, a twenty-two page Bibliography, a four page Index of Personal Names, and a
seven page Index. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Army of Ptolemaic Egypt
323 to 204 BC: An Institutional and Operational History" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note: Paul Johstono gained his PhD from Duke University, North Carolina, USA, with
a thesis on Hellenistic military institutions. He is an Associate Professor of Military History and
Security Studies at the Air Command & Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, where he
designs and teaches leadership and ethics curriculum. He was previously Associate Professor for
History of Warfare and Leadership Studies at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He was
formerly lead project historian for the video game team, Europa Barbarorum. He has published
numerous articles and book chapters on Hellenistic military history, Ptolemaic history, and
ancient historiography. He regularly speaks on ancient warfare, leadership, and strategy.
Machiavelli's Broken World
John M. Najemy
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
www.oup.com/us
9780199580927, $40.00, HC, 496pp
https://www.amazon.com/Machiavellis-Broken-World-John-Najemy/dp/0199580928
Synopsis: Machiavelli (3 May 1469 - 21 June 1527) was painfully aware of living in a disastrous
moment of Italy's history with respect to foreign invasions, occupations and shattered states. He
was harshly critical of Italy's princes (such as Francesco Sforza), its professional military class
(especially Cesare Borgia), and the Church (Pope Julius II).
"Machiavelli's Broken World" by John M. Najemy is a study of Machiavelli's evaluation of their
failures and of their underlying causes. He believed that the root of Italy's political weakness was
the excessive ambition of its elite classes, who, like their counterparts in ancient Rome, were
prepared to overthrow governments that obstructed their ambition.
Machiavelli formulates this phenomenon, first theoretically, then historically in the context of the
Florentine Republic's descent into family-based factionalism, which culminated in the brittle
Medici regime. The most damaging tyranny, according to Machiavelli, was the collective tyranny
of wealthy elites ready to undermine law and government to preserve and augment their power
and wealth.
Critique: With added currency to that old adage about those who don't know history are doomed
to repeat it, "Machiavelli's Broken World" is especially timely both as a work of political history
having lessons about the causes and consequences of corruption that existed in Machiavelli's
time -- and our own. A work of meticulous and insightful scholarship, "Machiavelli's Broken
World" is a welcome and recommended addition to the personal reading lists of students,
academia, and non-specialist general readers, as well as community, and academic library World
History and Political Theory collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: John M. Najemy is an expert on Machiavelli. In addition to many essays, a study
of the famous epistolary exchange with Francesco Vettori, exploring the political and personal
contexts in which Machiavelli wrote The Prince (Between Friends: Discourses of Power and
Desire in the Machiavelli-Vettori Letters of 1513-1515, 1993). He has also written two books on
Florentine history, including A History of Florence, 1200-1575 (2006; Italian translation, 2014),
and essays on a variety of Italian authors from Albertano da Brescia and Brunetto Latini to Leon
Battista Alberti and Baldassare Castiglione. He has edited The Cambridge Companion to
Machiavelli (2010) and Italy in the Age of the Renaissance (2004) in the Short Oxford History of
Italy series.
The Civil War Shelf
The Women's Fight
Thavolia Glymph
University of North Carolina Press
116 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-3808
https://uncpress.org
9781469653631, $37.50, HC, 392pp
https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Fight-Battles-Freedom-Littlefield/dp/146965363X
Synopsis: Historians of the Civil War often speak of "wars within a war" -- the military fight and
wartime struggles on the home front, as well as the political and moral battle to preserve the
Union and end slavery. With the publication of "The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for
Home, Freedom, and Nation", Professor Thavolia Glymph provides a comprehensive new history
of women's roles and lives in the Civil War (North and South, white and black, slave and free)
showing how women were essentially and fully engaged in all three arenas.
Professor Glymph focuses on the ideas and ideologies that drove women's actions, allegiances,
and politics. We encounter women as they stood their ground, moved into each other's territory,
sought and found common ground, and fought for vastly different principles. Some women used
all the tools and powers they could muster to prevent the radical transformations the war
increasingly imposed, some fought with equal might for the same transformations, and other
women fought simply to keep the war at bay as they waited for their husbands and sons to return
home.
Professor Glymph also shows how the Civil War exposed as never before the nation's fault lines,
not just along race and class lines but also along the ragged boundaries of gender. However,
Professor Glymph makes clear that women's experiences were not new to the mid-nineteenth
century; rather, many of them drew on memories of previous conflicts, like the American
Revolution and the War of 1812, in order to make sense of the Civil War's disorder and
death.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a thirty page Bibliography,
sixty-two pages of Notes, an eight page Index of Names, and a fourteen page Index of Subjects,
"The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation" is a unique and
impressively written, organized and presented study that is a critically important and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library
American Civil War and 19th Century Women's History Studies collections, It should be noted
for the personal reading lists of students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject that "The Women's Fight" is also available in a paperback edition
(9781469672502, $27.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Thavolia Glymph (https://history.duke.edu/thavolia-glymph) is the Peabody
Family Distinguished Professor of History and Professor of Law at Duke University and the
author of "Out of the House of Bondage: The Transformation of the Plantation Household".
Thirteen Months in Dixie, or, the Adventures of a Federal Prisoner in Texas
W. F. Oscar Federhen, author
Jeanine Honstein, editor
Steven A. Knowiton, editor
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611215885, $29.95, HC, 168pp
https://www.amazon.com/Thirteen-Months-Adventures-Federal-Prisoner/dp/1611215889
Synopsis: Oscar Federhen was a new recruit to the 13th Independent Battery, Massachusetts
Light Artillery, when he shipped out to Louisiana in the spring of 1864 to participate in the Red
River Campaign. Not long after his arrival at the front, a combination of ill-luck and bad timing
led to his capture. Federhen was marched overland to Tyler, Texas, where he was held as a
prisoner of war in Camp Ford, the largest POW camp west of the Mississippi River.
Co-edited by Jeaninne Surette Honstin and Steven A. Knowiton, "Thirteen Months in Dixie, or,
the Adventures of a Federal Prisoner in Texas: Including the Red River Campaign, Imprisonment
at Camp Ford, and Escape" recounts Federhen's always thrilling and occasionally horrifying
ordeals as a starving prisoner.
The captured Union Army artillerist tried his hand at escaping several times and faced sadistic
guards and vicious hounds before finally succeeding. But his ordeal was just beginning as the
young soldier faced a series of challenges as he made his way cross-country through northeast
Texas to reach Union lines.
Federhen had to dodge regular Confederates, brigands, and even Comanches in his effort to get
home. He rode for a time with Rebel irregular cavalry, during which he witnessed robberies and
even cold-blooded murder. When he was recaptured and thought to be a potential deserter, he
escaped yet again and continued his bid for freedom.
Federhen wrote his recollections in lively engaging style not long after the war, but they sat
unpublished until Jeaninne Surette Honstein and Steven Knowlton carefully transcribed and
annotated his incredible manuscript. Numerous illustrations grace the pages, including two from
Federhen's own pen.
"Thirteen Months in Dixie" is not only a gripping true story that would have otherwise been lost
to history, but a valuable primary source about the lives of Civil War prisoners and everyday
Texans during the conflict.
Critique: After being hidden away for decades as a family heirloom, the incredible manuscript for
"Thirteen Months in Dixie, or, the Adventures of a Federal Prisoner in Texas: Including the Red
River Campaign, Imprisonment at Camp Ford, and Escape" is finally available, annotated and
illustrated, and published for the first time. A rollicking tale of adventure, captivity, hardship, and
heroism during the last year of the Civil War (and written in his own words), this is a very special
and unique American Civil War memoir and a prized addition to personal, community, and
academic library American Civil War History/Biography collections. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that "Thirteen Months in Dixie, or, the Adventures of a Federal Prisoner in
Texas: Including the Red River Campaign, Imprisonment at Camp Ford, and Escape" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.50).
Editorial Note #1: Jeaninne Honstein (https://jhonstein.com) is a conceptual artist based in
Princeton, New Jersey. Her paintings, sculpture, photography, and writing are influenced by her
perception of history and antiquities. She is pleased to bring the story of her ancestor William
Francis Oscar Federhen to the attention of the reading public for the first time.
Editorial Note 32: Steven A. Knowlton (https://scholar.princeton.edu/steven.a.knowlton/biocv) is
Librarian for History and African American Studies at Princeton University. His historical
research has been published in many peer-reviewed journals. He is the recipient of the William
Driver Award from the North American Vexillological Association and the Marshall Wingfield
Award from the West Tennessee Historical Society, and has won the Justin Winsor Library
History Essay Award twice.
The Business Shelf
Clusters of Innovation in the Age of Disruption
Jerome S. Engel, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781800885158, $200.00, HC, 480pp
https://www.amazon.com/Clusters-Innovation-Disruption-Jerome-Engel/dp/1800885156
Synopsis: "Clusters of Innovation in the Age of Disruption" is about corporate and economic
innovation ecosystems, Clusters of Innovation (COI) and the Global Networks of Clusters of
Innovation (GNCOI) they naturally form. What is innovation and why is it important to us?
Innovation is nothing less than the ability for constructive response and adaptation to change.
The cause and catalyst for that change is frequently identified as technology and its unceasing
pressure to improve on existing solutions and address unmet needs. The last decade has painfully
demonstrated that exogenous environmental shocks are also sources of change that call for
innovative responses, ranging from the obvious challenges such as global warming and Covid-19
to the more subtle social and political perturbations of our time.
Entrepreneurs, in collaboration with venture investors and major corporations can create a
flywheel of constructive engagement, a cluster of Innovation, that helps build the resiliency of
our communities to adsorb and rebound from these shocks. The process is enhanced when
actively supported by government, universities, and other elements of the ecosystem. "Clusters of
Innovation in the Age of Disruption" provides the tools for understanding this value creation
process and the means to enhance it, in both emerging and mature innovation ecosystems.
"Clusters of Innovation in the Age of Disruption" provides a framework for understanding
innovation in mature and emerging innovation ecosystems to a wide swath of professionals and
academics, from senior executives of major corporations, government leaders, public policy
makers, and consultants, to academics, researchers, and educators.
Critique: With the publication of "Clusters of Innovation in the Age of Disruption", Professor
Jerome Engel has expertly compiled and edited an impressively comprehensive, extraordinarily
informative, and deftly organized and presented study comprised of sixteen contributions by
credentialed experts. While also available for personal reading lists in a paperback edition
(9781035312146, $55.00), "Clusters of Innovation in the Age of Disruption" is strongly
recommended as a core addition to corporate, college, and university library
Entrepreneurship/Business collections and MBA supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Jerome S. Engel (https://jeromeengel.com) is an internationally recognized
expert in innovation, entrepreneurship, and venture capital -- and lectures and advises business
and government leaders around the world. He joined the faculty of University of California,
Berkeley in 1991 to found the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship, of which he is a senior fellow
and the founding executive director emeritus.
The Cookbook Shelf
The Betty Crocker Cookbook, 13th Edition
Betty Crocker, author
Harvest
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780358408581, $32.50, HC, 704pp
https://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crocker-Cookbook-13th-Everything/dp/035840858X
Synopsis: For the past 100 years, Betty Crocker has helped generations of American home cooks,
and this is the cookbook that they've come to trust. This newly revised and expanded 13th edition
of the "Betty Crocker Cookbook" is radically refreshed and made with busy families in mind,
with more than 375 exclusive, new, and on-trend recipes. Look for 5-ingredient, air fryer,
multicooker, and slow cooker recipes throughout, plus ways to use up your on-hand ingredients,
dependable cooking guides, and much, much more. For the health-conscious, you'll find a new
veggie-forward chapter, plus gluten-free and vegan recipes, with full nutritional info for all of the
1300+ recipes.
Perfect for makers of any cooking level, this foundational culinary volume offers an introduction
to basic kitchen tools and staples plus charts for cooking times and storage, measurement
conversions, as well as inspirations to be creative in your cooking. It's everything a home cook
needs for confident cooking and baking at your fingertips, with chapters on appetizers and salads,
cookies, cakes, and desserts, and all eating occasions in between.
Critique: Beautifully and informatively illustrated throughout and now in a durable, lay-flat, book
format, this new 13th edition of "The Betty Crocker Cookbook, 13th Edition: Everything You
Need to Know to Cook Today" is a core addition to personal, professional, family, and
community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that it is also readily available for the
family cook in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note: Betty Crocker (https://www.bettycrocker.com) is dedicated to showcasing
innovative new ways to make delicious simple through reliably tasty and intuitive kitchen
solutions. With more than 75 million cookbooks sold since 1950, Betty Crocker continues to
connect with makers everywhere.
Easy Plant-Based Cooking for Two
Lei Shishak
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510772083, $26.99, HC, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Plant-Based-Cooking-Two-Delicious/dp/1510772081
Synopsis: With the publication of "Easy Plant-Based Cooking for Two: Delicious Vegan Recipes
to Enjoy Together", professional chef Lei Shishak shares 80 extraordinarily delicious meat-free
recipes for pairs. From morning beverages to baked goods, breakfast to lunch, mid-day snacks to
sides, dinner to dessert, this book is a must-have for plant-forward enthusiasts, plant-based
dieters, vegans, veg-curious, and anyone in between!
All 80 palate pleasing, appetite satisfying recipes are perfectly portioned for two but can also
work for larger households where varied eating preferences often exist. Small-batch cooking isn't
complicated or restrictive. It cuts down on waste (and waist!) and leads to greater variety in
meals.
The thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes range from a Kiwi Kale Smoothie; Nut and Seed
Granola; Blackberry Thyme French Toast; Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad; and Mushroom Pte
en Baguette; to Sweet Potato Tacos; Sesame Soba Bowl; Rye Raisin Scones; Chocolate Layer
Cake -- and more!
"Easy Plant-Based Cooking for Two" will help you make delicious sweet and savory plant-based
recipes in just the right quantities. So whether you're newly married, flying solo, BFFs,
roommates, empty-nesters, or one in a large crowd, get ready to say goodbye to endless leftovers
and hello to a new, delicious plant-based dish every day.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with full page color photography of finished dishes,
"Easy Plant-Based Cooking for Two: Delicious Vegan Recipes to Enjoy Together" will have a
very special and particular appeal to vegans, vegetarians, and anyone with an interest in seaonsal
dishes for seasonal menus. While highly recommended for personal, professional, and
community library cookbook collections, "Easy Plant-Based Cooking for Two: Delicious Vegan
Recipes to Enjoy Together" is an especially culinary pleasure to simply browse through one
inspiring recipe after another.
Editorial Note: Lei Shishak (www.leishishak.com) is the author of numerous cookbooks
including: Beach House Dinners, Beach House Brunch, Farm-To-Table Desserts, and Beach
House Baking. She received her culinary training at the CIA in New York and holds a certificate
in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. After heading
pastry kitchens at notable LA and Orange County restaurants, Lei founded Sugar Blossom Bake
Shop in San Clemente, California, and has been featured in People, Riviera Magazine, Sunset
Magazine, Los Angeles Daily News, Orange County Register, KTLA Morning News, PBS, and
many more media outlets. She can be followed on Instagram @leishishak
Supper: Recipes Worth Staying in For
Flora Shedden
Hardie Grant Books
https://www.hardiegrant.com/us/books
c/o Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com
9781784885274, $32.50, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Supper-Recipes-Staying-Flora-Shedden/dp/1784885274
Synopsis: "Supper" is a truly impressive compendium of Flora Shedden's best-loved recipes for
transforming the often-mundane dining-in experience into something worth staying in for.
Featuring over 100 delicious and thoroughly kitchen cook friendly recipes, "Supper" also
includes sample menu suggestions, drink ideas and practical guidance on how to make the most
of leftovers. "Supper" also shows home cooks how to elevate even the most ordinary dinners at
home, into something joyful and celebratory.
Critique: Beautifully, profusely, and inspiringly illustrated throughout with full color
photography of finished dishes, "Supper: Recipes Worth Staying in For" will enable even the
most novice of kitchen cooks to create meals and menus that would rival any 5 star restaurant.
While a magnificent and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and
community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "Supper: Recipes Worth Staying
in For" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Flora Shedden (https://www.florashedden.com) is the author of Aran, a book
based on her bakery of the same name, which focuses on quality and seasonality in baking and
cooking. The bakery sells out daily and has been listed in multiple food guides including
Scotland the Best and both the Telegraph and Olive Magazines guide to the best bakeries in the
UK. Flora opened her second shop LON Store in 2020. Specializing in good quality local
ingredients and excellent store cupboard staples from some of the best independent producers in
the UK it has been a huge hit with locals and visitors alike. Its main aim as a store it to inspire
people to cook locally and seasonally.
The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
Serena Ball MS RD, author
Deanna Segrave-Daly, author
BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781637741542, $28.95, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sustainable-Mediterranean-Diet-Cookbook-Healthy/dp/1637741545
Synopsis: "The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: More Than 100 Easy, Healthy
Recipes to Reduce Food Waste, Eat in Season, and Help the Earth" by culinary experts Serena
Ball and Deanna Segrave-Daly is a comprehensive guide to getting the most from this incredible
regimen, with 10 steps to a more eco-friendly kitchen including helpful guidance on more
sustainable ingredient choices, energy-saving cooking methods, smarter storage, and food waste
reduction. Even making a few of these small changes can add up to a big impact on the health of
the planet.
"The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" is a compendium of recipes ranging from
Tahini Swirl Yogurt Parfait with Grapes; Broiled Halloumi with Mint Cucumber Salad;
Mascarpone Scrambled Eggs with Carrot Bacon; and Turkish Tomato Flatbread; to Falafel with
Pickled Herb Spread; Smoked Seafood Farro Risotto; North African Chicken Couscous Bowls;
Parsley Pistachio Beef Bulgur Koftas; Baklava Frozen Yogurt Bark; and Olive Oil Polenta Berry
Cakes.
Each showcased recipe includes detailed nutritional information, as well as helpful ingredient
substitutions, prep tips, and time-saving suggestions. Each recipes was triple-tested by real home
cooks and are adaptable for gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, vegetarian and vegan
lifestyles. Meat and seafood lovers will also find approachable ways to make more eco-conscious
choices.
Critique: An impressive culinary resource for a climate-friendly menu, and profusely illustrated
throughout with full-color photographs throughout, "More Than 100 Easy, Healthy Recipes to
Reduce Food Waste, Eat in Season, and Help the Earth" is a welcome compendium of palate
pleasing, appetite-satisfying, environmentally compatible recipes that are thoroughly 'kitchen
cook friendly' in both organization and presentation. While "The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet
Cookbook" is highly recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook
collections, it should be noted for personal reference that it is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Both Serena Ball, MS, RD, and Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD, have over 20 years of
culinary nutrition experience and have dedicated their careers to helping people make delicious
and nutritious meals. Together, they are the authors of "The 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet
Cookbook", and the "Easy Everyday Mediterranean Diet Cookbook".They have a website at
www.teaspoonofspice.com and do weekly live-stream recipe demonstrations on their Facebook
page, Teaspoon of Spice.
The Literary Studies Shelf
The Stuff of Science Fiction
Gary Westfahl
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476686592, $49.95, PB, 297pp
https://www.amazon.com/Stuff-Science-Fiction-Hardware-Characters/dp/1476686599
Synopsis: While students and general readers typically cannot relate to esoteric definitions of
science fiction, they readily understand the genre as a literature that characteristically deals with
subjects such as new inventions, space, robot and aliens. With the publication of "The Stuff of
Science Fiction: Hardware, Settings, Characters", Professor Gary Westfahl looks at science
fiction in precisely this manner, with twenty-one chapters that each deal with a subject that is
repeatedly addressed in science fiction of recent centuries.
Based on a packet of original essays that Professor Westfahl had assembled for his classes, "The
Stuff of Science Fiction: Hardware, Settings, Characters" could well serve as a supplemental
textbook in science fiction classes, but it also contains material of interest to science fiction
scholars and others devoted to the genre.
In some cases, chapters offer thorough surveys of numerous works involving certain subjects,
such as imagined vehicles, journeys beneath the Earth and undersea adventures, discovering
intriguing patterns in the ways that various writers developed their ideas. When comprehensive
coverage of ubiquitous topics such as robots, aliens and the planet Mars is impossible, chapters
focus on major themes referencing selected texts. A conclusion discusses other science fiction
subjects that were omitted for various reasons, and a bibliography lists additional resources for
the study of science fiction in general and the topics of each chapter.
Critique: Impressively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an informative Introduction
and Conclusion, "The Stuff of Science Fiction: Hardware, Settings, Characters" also features a
sixteen page Bibliography and a thirty-four page Index. Comprised of an inherently fascinating
and thought-provoking series of articles deftly organized into three major sections, "The Stuff of
Science Fiction: Hardware, Settings, Characters" is available for personal reading lists in a digital
book format (Kindle, $29.99) and is unreservedly recommended as a significant and fascinating
addition to community, college, and university library Literary Studies collections in general, and
Science Fiction supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular.
Editorial Note: Gary Westfahl (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Westfahl), is a Professor
Emeritus at the University of La Verne, California, and has authored, edited, or co-edited 27
books about science fiction and fantasy, as well as hundreds of articles and reviews. In 2003, he
received the Science Fiction Research Association's Pilgrim Award for his lifetime contributions
to science fiction and fantasy scholarship.
Ovid's "Heroides" and the Augustan Principate
Megan O. Drinkwater
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299337803, $79.95, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ovids-Heroides-Augustan-Principate-Drinkwater/dp/0299337804
Synopsis: 43 BCE, the year after the assassination of Julius Caesar. While the Roman republic
had seen many conflicts, it was this civil war, headed by the vengeful triumvirate of Mark
Anthony, Marcus Lepidus, and Octavian, that irrevocably transformed Rome with its upheaval.
What followed was years of fighting and the eventual ascendancy of Octavian, who from 27 BCE
onwards would be best known as Caesar Augustus, founder of the Roman Principate.
It was in this era of turmoil and transformation that Ovid, the Roman poet best known for
Metamorphoses, was born. The Heroides, one of his earliest and most elusive works, is not
written from the first-person perspective that so often characterizes the elegiac poetry of that time
but from the personae of tragic heroines of classical mythology.
With the publication of "Ovid's "Heroides" and the Augustan Principate", Professor Megan O.
Drinkwater illustrates how Ovid used innovations of literary form to articulate an expression of
the crisis of civic identity in Rome at a time of extreme and permanent political change. The
letters are not divorced from the context of their composition but instead elucidate that context
for their readers and expose how Ovid engaged in politics throughout his entire career. Their
importance is as much historical as literary.
Professor Drinkwater makes a compelling case for understanding the Heroides as a testament
from one of Rome's most eloquent writers to the impact that the dramatic shift from republic to
empire had on its intellectual elites.
Critique: A seminal work of outstanding scholarship, "Ovid's "Heroides" and the Augustan
Principate" is informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an eleven page Coda
(Hindsight and the Double Herodes), a ten page bibliographic listing of Works Cited, thirty-two
pages of Notes, a six page Index Locorom, and a six page Index. Exceptionally well written,
organized, and presented, "Ovid's "Heroides" and the Augustan Principate" is an extraordinary
and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and community library
Roman Literature/Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Megan O. Drinkwater is a professor and chair of the department of classics at
Agnes Scott College. She has previously published several articles on different aspects of Ovid's
work and has contributed to The Cambridge Companion to Latin Love Elegy. She has a web
page at https://www.agnesscott.edu/directory/faculty/drinkwater-megan.html
Pierre Macherey and the Case of Literary Production
Warren Montag, editor
Audrey Wasser, editor
Northwestern University Press
629 Noyes Street, Evanston, IL 60208
www.nupress.northwestern.edu
9780810145122, $99.95, HC, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pierre-Macherey-Case-Literary-Production/dp/081014512X
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Warren Montage and Audrey Wasser, the
contributors to "Pierre Macherey and the Case of Literary Production" show how Pierre
Macherey's remarkable (and still provocative) early work can contribute to contemporary
discussions about the act of reading and the politics of formal analysis.
Across a series of historically and philosophically contextualized readings, the volume's
contributors interrogate Macherey's work on a range of pressing issues, including the
development of a theory of reading and criticism, the relationship between the spoken and the
unspoken, the labor of poetic determination and of literature's resistance to ideological context,
the literary relevance of a Spinozist materialism, the process of racial subjectification and the
ontology of Blackness, and a theorization of the textual surface.
"Pierre Macherey and the Case of Literary Production" also includes three new texts by
Macherey, presented here in English for the first time: his postface to the revised French edition
of A Theory of Literary Production; "Reading Althusser," in which Macherey analyzes the
concept of symptomatic reading; and a comprehensive interview in which Macherey reflects on
the historical conditions of his early work, the long arc of his career at the intersection of
philosophy and literature, and the ongoing importance of Louis Althusser's thought.
Recent translations of Macherey's work into English have introduced new readers to the critic's
enduring power and originality. Timely in its questions and teeming with fresh insights, "Pierre
Macherey and the Case of Literary Production" demonstrates the depths to which his work
resonates, now more than ever.
Critique: Informative enhanced with the inclusion of a fourteen page bibliography listing Works
by Pierre Macherey, a two pager listing of the Contributors and their credentials, and a seven
page Index, "Pierre Macherey and the Case of Literary Production" is an ideal introduction to the
literary work of Pierre Macherey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Macherey). While
especially recommended for college and university library Literary Criticism & Theory
collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Pierre Macherey and the Case of
Literary Production" is also available in a paperback edition (9780810145115, $34.95) and in a
digital book format (Kindle, $30.90).
The Audiobook Shelf
Old Indian Legends
Zitkala-Sa, author
Katie Anvit Rich, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://www.brilliancepublishing.com
9781799784982, $9.99, MP3-CD
https://www.amazon.com/Old-Indian-Legends-AmazonClassics-Zitk%C3%A1la-%C5%A0%C3%A1/dp/1662508484
Synopsis: "Old Indian Legends" is an exquisite collection of children's Native American
folktales, in which author and storyteller Zitkala-Sa shares the legends that were handed down to
her through generations of Yankton storytellers. These tales display the wide range of insights
and observations that accrue to such stories through repeated iteration, but they also benefit from
the sharp ear and finely tuned sensibility of Zitkala-Sa as a writer. Her characters seem to speak
to us - often crying out to us - in the same tones that Zitkala-Sa must once have heard. Whether
or not readers have any previous familiarity with the trickster Iktomi or the many animals who
seek to outwit him, Zitkala-Sa's work has the power to charm, enchant, and enlighten.
Critique: This 'Amazon Classics Edition' edition from Brilliance Audio us impressively 'brought
to life' in a true theatre of the mind experience by Katie Anvil Rich. Complete and unabridged,
"Old Indian Legends" is especially recommended for personal, elementary school, middle school,
and community library Native American Folklore/Mythology audio book collections. (1 Hour, 56
Minutes)
Editorial Note: Zitkala-Sa (February 22, 1876 - January 26, 1938) was a writer, editor, translator,
musician, educator, suffragist, and one of the most important American Indian activists of the
twentieth century. Born Gertrude Simmons on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota,
she adopted the name Zitkala-Sa (Lakota for Red Bird) in her early teens. Educated at Quaker
schools, Zitkala-Sa strove to retain her cultural identity and to enlighten white English-speaking
audiences about American Indian life. In addition to writing numerous articles for the Atlantic
Monthly and Harper's Monthly, Zitkala-Sa published Old Indian Legends and American Indian
Stories and wrote the libretto for The Sun Dance Opera, the first ever by an American Indian. In
1926 she cofounded the National Council of American Indians, which advocated for the civil
rights that American Indians had long been denied. Zitkala-Sa served as its president until her
death. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zitkala-Sa)
The Eyes Have It and Other Stories
Phillip K. Dick, author
J.S. Arquin, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781799784920, $9.99, MP3-CD (7 Hours, 40 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Have-Other-Stories-AmazonClassics/dp/1799784924
Synopsis: First published in various science fiction magazines of the 1950s, these early short
stories from the now legendary and award-winning novelist Philip K. Dick showcase the budding
author's uncanny ability to forge strange new paths into alternate realities. Already in command
of the themes and techniques he would later employ in his novels, Dick here envisions alien
infiltrations, far-off worlds at war, nightmarish totalitarian societies, and uncanny depths lying
just beneath seemingly commonplace realities. Fantastical, sinister, paranoid, and darkly
amusing, these are seminal works in Dick's justly celebrated career.
Critique: Brilliantly narrated by J. S. Arquin, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of
"The Eyes Have It and Other Stories" perfectly showcase examples of the late Philip K. Dick's
genuine flair for originality and will be of immense interest to a whole new generation of
dedicated science fiction fans. Simply stated, "The Eyes Have It and Other Stories" will prove to
be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal and community library Science
Fiction & Fantasy audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 - March 2, 1982) was an American
science fiction writer who sold his first story in 1951 -- and thus began his long and prolific
career. During his lifetime, Dick published more than 120 short stories and thirty-six novels,
including such celebrated works as The Man in the High Castle, Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?, Ubik, The Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. He was the recipient of the Hugo
Award and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award among other honors, and was inducted into
the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick)
Editorial Note: Author and voice over narrator A. S. Arquin has two informative websites:
https://www.booksweeps.com/discover/j-s-arquin/ and https://www.arquinworlds.com
Thief
Owen Mullen, author
Andy Watkins, narrator
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781804154939, $88.95, MP3-CD
Synopsis: Charley Glass arrived in her family's lives like the hurricane she'd escaped. But she
hadn't run far enough: the ruthless Giordano family are on her tail and want two things - her life,
and the return of the property she stole from them. No matter how many bodies stack up.
After years of longing, Charley finally has the family she's always wanted, but now she's going to
have to tell them the real reason she came looking them. There is only one way she's going to
stay alive, and that is to employ the muscle of the notorious Glass Family.
The head of the family, Luke, has become embroiled in a dangerous political plot and isn't sure
they're strong enough to take on one of New Orleans' biggest crime gangs. But he'd put his life on
the line to protect the empire they've built -- even if they'll have to take on an enemy hurting
enough to cross an ocean for revenge.
Critique: A riveting suspense thriller of an action novel by Owen Mullen, this complete and
unabridged audio book edition of "Thief" as narrated by the vocal performance and talents of
Andy Watkins creates a perfectly nuanced and fully engaging 'theatre of the mind' experience for
the listener. Available in either a traditional audio CD or an MP3-CD format, "Thief" is a
welcome and recommended addition to personal and community library Audio Book collections.
(9 Hours, 20 Minutes).
Editorial Note #1: Owen Mullen (https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/owen-mullen) is a
McIlvanney Crime Book Of The Year long-listed novelist.
Editorial Note #2: Andy Watkins (https://www.mandy.com/uk/a/andy-watkins) has set up a home
studio space and gained valuable knowledge and experience in recording and editing. He landed
his first voice artist job, an audiobook, recording at a studio in Oxford, England. The role
required 7 different accents, including 4 he had to learn from scratch in just 3 weeks!
Theophrastus' Characters: An Ancient Take on Bad Behavior
James Romm, author
Billy Crudup, narrator
Pamela Mensch, translator
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9798212170420, $24.95, CD
https://www.amazon.com/Theophrastus-Characters-Ancient-Take-Behavior/dp/B0BBSFVCTZ
Synopsis: When Aristotle wrote that that "comedy is about people worse than ourselves", he may
have been recalling a hard-edged gem of a treatise written by his favorite student,
Theophrastus.
This audio book edition of "Theophrastus' Characters: An Ancient Take on Bad Behavior" is a
joyous festival of fault-finding: a collection of thirty closely observed personality portraits,
defining the full spectrum of human flaws, failings, and follies. With piquant details of speech
and behavior taken straight off the streets of ancient Athens, Theophrastus gives us sketches of
the mean, vile, and annoying that are comically distorted yet vividly real.
Enlivened by Pamela Mensch's fresh translation (the first widely available English version in
over half a century, "Theophrastus' Characters" transports the listener to a world populated by
figures of flesh and blood, not bronze and marble. Lightly but helpfully annotated by classicist
James Romm, these thirty thumbnail portraits comprising "Theophrastus' Characters" are
startlingly recognizable twenty-three centuries later. The characters of Theophrastus are
archetypes of human nature that remain insightful, caustic, and relevant.
Critique: Impressively narrated by Billy Crudup and unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and academic library audio book collections, "Theophrastus'
Characters: An Ancient Take on Bad Behavior" offers a true 'theatre of the mind' experience for
the listener and will have a very special appeal to those with an interest in Classical Literature
and Literary Criticism/Theory. It should be noted that this Blackstone Audio edition of
"Theophrastus' Characters" includes a bonus PDF with illustrations by Andre Carrilho.
The Library CD Shelf
Joan Beckow Legacy Project
Joan Beckow
Privately Published
https://joanbeckowlegacy.com
$30.00 CAD CD / $25.00 CAD digital
https://joanbeckowlegacyproject.bandcamp.com/releases
Joan Beckow Legacy Project is a two-CD album created in honor of the prodigal talent of
Jewish-Canadian composer Joan Beckow, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 88. A great
collaboration of musicians and vocalists perform 22 of Joan Beckow's songs, in this grand artistic
treasure highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The tracks
of Disc 1 are Once There Was a Tailor, Look at Me, A Christmas Wish, Miracles, One Perfect
Rose, Pretending, Christmas Comes, Happy Ever-Aftering, On the Other Side of Nowhere,
Guided by the Stars, and Here Where it Counts. The tracks of Disc 2 are May the Words, Open
Unto Us, Loveliest of Trees, The Woman I'll Be, Dwelling Places, Sh'ma, Wheresoever I Turn
Mine Eyes, Oseh Shalom, Psalm, Tov L'Hodot, and How Goodly Are Thy Tents.
True Treasures
Leroy Van Dyke
Country Rewind Records
$10.98 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/True-Treasures-Leroy-Van-Dyke/dp/B0B5F9VYMY
True Treasures is an album of unreleased musical gems performed by country music artist,
honky-tonk singer and guitarist Leroy Van Dyke (b. 1929) and brought up to modern song
recording standards by producer Paul Martin. A wonderfully enthralling collection of long-
overlooked highlights by a worthy country music legend, True Treasures lives up to its name and
is especially recommended for connoisseurs of the genre and public library music collections.
The tracks are Walk On By, Oklahoma Hills, Just A State Of Mind, If A Woman Answers (Hang
Up The Phone), San Antonio Rose, You Couldn't Get My Love Back (If You Tried), Anytime -
Oh Lonesome Me (Medley), Be A Good Girl (Til I Get Back In Town), I've Never Been Loved,
Jambalaya, The Other Boys Are Talking, The Last Letter, Auctioneer, Big, Wide Wonderful
World Of Country Music, and Ol' Man Mose.
Wildwood
The Harry Bartlett Trio
harrybartlettmusic.com
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://harrybartlett.bandcamp.com/album/wildwood
Award-winning music group The Harry Bartlett Trio presents Wildwood, a vivacious new music
album blending jazz, American folk, and Western music styles into an adventurous fusion.
Wildwood is an extraordinarily creative and finely detailed listening experience, highly
recommended for both personal and public library collections. The tracks are Burgess Falls,
Circle of Moss and Fire Smoke, Snowfall on Sword Ferns, The Incident at Blood Bay, Sailing
Over Troubled Waters, Story Book Picture, Jellybean, Queen of Surrey, and Lachesism.
Twelve
Noam Lemish
noamlemish.com
TPR Records
tprrecords.ca
$17.00 CAD CD / $12.00 CAD digital
https://noamlemish.bandcamp.com/album/twelve
Israeli-born, Toronto-based pianist and composer Noam Lemish presents Twelve, a jazz
orchestra album showcasing the talents of an extraordinary ensemble of performers, including
multiple JUNO award winners. An inventive, immensely ambitious work, Twelve is a "must-
have" for connoisseurs of original jazz and highly recommended for both personal and public
library music collections. The tracks are Song for Lia, The Nagila Mayster, Beethoven's 7th Visit
to Romania, Steals on Steeles, Between Utopia and Destruction, and Rebirth.
Upon First Impression
Saku Mantere
saukmantere.ca
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $7.00 CAD digital
https://sakumantere.bandcamp.com/album/upon-first-impression
Upon First Impression is the debut album of Finnish-born, Montreal-based vocalist Saku
Mantere. His outstanding performance is supported by an extraordinary array of talented
musicians on trumpet, saxophones, trombone, piano, bass, drums, and more. Mantere's rich voice
resonates in these songs about heartbreak and living life split between two homelands and
cultures. Highly recommended! The tracks are And Death Shall Have No Dominion, Time,
Wedding Poem, Building You Building Me, Open Secrets, Radio Silence, I Think It's Time to
Say Goodbye Again Again, Countdown, The Professional, and Leap of Faith.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
Voices in the Dead House
Norman Lock
Bellevue Literary Press
c/o NYU School of Medicine
550 First Ave., OBV A612, New York, NY 10016
www.blpress.org
9781954276017, $16.98, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Voices-Dead-House-American-Novels/dp/195427601X
Synopsis: After the Union Army's defeat at Fredericksburg in 1862, Walt Whitman and Louisa
May Alcott converge on Washington to nurse the sick, wounded, and dying.
Whitman was a man of many contradictions: egocentric yet compassionate, impatient with
religiosity yet moved by the spiritual in all humankind, bigoted yet soon to become known as the
great poet of democracy.
Alcott was an intense, intellectual, independent woman, an abolitionist and suffragist, who was
compelled by financial circumstance to publish saccharine magazine stories yet would go on to
write the enduring and beloved Little Women.
In the pages of "Voices in the Dead House", is a superbly crafted historical novel by author
Norman Lock who fully captures the musicality of Whiteman and Alcott in their encounters with
Civil War era luminaries ranging from Lincoln, to battlefield photographer Mathew Brady, to
reformer Dorothea Dix. "Voices in the Dead House" deftly renders the war's impact on their
personal and artistic development.
Inspired by Whitman's poem "The Wound-Dresser" and Alcott's Hospital Sketches, (and the
ninth stand-alone book in The American Novels series), "Voices in the Dead House" is a
masterful dual portrait of two iconic authors who took different paths toward chronicling a
country beset by prejudice and at war with itself.
Critique: While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99),
"Voices in the Dead House" is a simply riveting read by Norman Lock -- an author with a
genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that fully engages the
reader from fist page to last. "Vocies of the Dead House" is an especially and unreservedly
recommended addition to community, college, and university library Historical, Biographical,
and American Civil War era fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Norman Lock (https://normanlock.com) is the author of novels, short fiction, and
poetry, as well as stage and radio plays. He has won The Dactyl Foundation Literary Fiction
Award, The Paris Review Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, and has been long listed twice for the
Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Prize. He has also received writing fellowships from the New Jersey
State Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment
for the Arts. He is currently at work on the next books of his 'The American Novels' series.
The Western Fiction Shelf
Death Trail
D. D. Lang
Lindford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444848588, $23.00, PB, Large Print, 211pp
Synopsis: Travelling West was never easy. Men, women and children endured the rough terrain,
the heat, the cold, illness and, sometimes, Indians. So, when sickness struck, and wagons had to
be segregated, the danger was increased.
There were always men ready to take advantage and Clem Watkins and his gang were ready to do
just that. Ardal Maloney, his wife Kate and two children had left Ireland to seek out a new life in
the West. Leaving behind them starvation, poverty and death, they came to the New World to
start afresh.
But the senseless killing of women and children fired Ardal into seeking to avenge their
deaths.
Critique: A masterpiece of a vengeance quest action/adventure western, "Death Trail" by D. D.
Lang (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/408937.D_D_Lang) is a simply riveting and
compulsive page turner of a read from cover to cover. This large print paperback edition from the
Linford Western Library collections is especially recommended for community library Western
Fiction collections and the personal reading lists for the legions of D. D. Lang fans.
Editorial Note: Derek Doyle writes under the pen name of D.D. Lang and has had over 40 Black
Horse Westerns published.
Return to Crows Creek
John E. Vale
Lindford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444848748, $23.00, PB, Large Print, 234pp
Synopsis: Englishman Marshal Daniel Wheetman has been given over to President Hayes by
Queen Victoria in an attempt to bring justice to the lawless west. However, Daniel's methods of
policing are in complete contrast to those employed by US lawmen. Not only is he unable to ride
a horse, he also does not believe in the use of firearms. Additionally, he has a personality that
makes the vast majority of cowboys want to blow his head off!
Critique: Few western writers have a sense of humor to match that of novelist John E. Vale as
evidenced by his stories featuring a kind of Sherlock Holmes style lawman, Englishman Daniel
Wheelman, who is loaned out by Queen Victoria to the Americans and is teamed up Murphy -- a
semi- reformed gunman promised a pardon from hanging as the assigned 'protector' of this
seemingly vulnerable excuse for a U.S. Marshall. The problem is that if Daniel Wheelman gets
himself killed, the pardon goes away and Murphy will find himself hung! Unabashedly
recommended for both dedicated western fans and community library Western Fiction
collections, "Return to Crows Creek" is the second volume in a simply outstanding series of
western action/adventure novels by John E. Vale.
Bighorn Gold
Art Isberg
Lindford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444848496, $23.00, PB, Large Print, 252pp
Synopsis: Jesper Tubbs has spent his life wandering the western mountains, searching for the
elusive glint of gold. But Fate plays its fickle hand late in his life when, at the point of starvation,
he literally stumbles upon a fabulous strike. However, Tubbs finds far more than just gold. His
chance discovery is to turn sane men into wanton killers, who will stop at nothing to find his
secret location deep in the Tobacco Root Mountains -- and claim it as their own!
Critique: A classic novel of prospectors and claim jumpers in the Old West, "Bighorn Gold" by
Art Isberg is a fully engaging and entertaining read that will be an enduringly appreciated and
popular addition to community library Western Fiction collections. This large print paperback
edition of "Bighorn Gold" from the Linford Western Library collection is particularly
commended to the attention of all dedicated western action fans.
Editorial Note: Art Isberg writes westerns, both novels and short stories. A freelance writer for
more than four decades, he has explored unmapped ghost towns, followed ancient wagon ruts of
pioneers across western deserts, and successfully dug up bandit treasure taken in a Wells Fargo
robbery. He has published six novels and over 300 short stories and articles. His writing has been
featured in Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Sports Afield, Safari, Bugle, Fly Fisherman, Saltwater
Fisherman, and many other major outdoor press magazines. It has also been featured in Daily
Republic, West Coast newspapers with stories about growing up through the war years of World
War II, living in western mountains, and in the newsletters of western historical societies.
The Marshal and the Fatal Foreclosure
C. M. Wendelboe
Five Star Publishing
c/o Gale Cengage Learning, Inc.
20 Channel Center Street, Boston, MA 02210
https://www.gale.com/five-star
www.cengageptr.com
9781432895426, $25.95, HC, 315pp
https://www.amazon.com/Marshal-Foreclosure-Nelson-Frontier-Mystery/dp/1432895427
Synopsis: U.S. Marshal Nelson Lane is trying to aid his deputy in evicting Lucky Graber, a failed
Wyoming rancher, when a dead man is found on Lucky's land, apparently killed in a hunting
accident.
The victim, Gino Bonelli, took an interest in Lucky's ranch shortly before he was killed, though
the land is worthless as far as Nelson and everyone else in the town of Gillette is concerned.
Then Lucky Graber disappears, and the victim's gangster brother Bruno arrives in town with his
thugs, intent on finding out for certain how Gino died.
Before long, it becomes apparent that the "hunting accident" was staged, and that other people
around Gillette (including the owner of the bank that foreclosed on Lucky's ranch) are far more
interested in this "worthless" piece of real estate than they should be. Maybe enough to kill
over.
While Nelson and his deputies work to solve the crime, Bruno and his goons fan out, threatening
anyone connected with the missing rancher and gathering what information they can to identify
Gino's murderer so Bruno can give the killer his own brand of justice. Will Lucky surface --
assuming he's still alive? Will Nelson discover why Gino Bonelli was in the area, snooping on
Lucky's ranch land? And will Gino's death be avenged?
Critique: A deftly blended combination of action/adventure western and 'whodunnit' mystery,
"The Marshal and the Fatal Foreclosure" by novelist C. M. Wendelboe is a fun read from first
page to last. Having a particular attraction to both the western fan and the mystery buff, "The
Marshal and the Fatal Foreclosure" is unreservedly recommended for either Historical Mystery of
Western Fiction collections.
When the Devil Comes A-Calling
Ethan J. Wolfe
Five Star Publishing
c/o Gale Cengage Learning, Inc.
20 Channel Center Street, Boston, MA 02210
https://www.gale.com/five-star
www.cengageptr.com
9781432893996, $25.95, HC, 277pp
https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Calling-Youngblood-Brothers-Western/dp/1432893998
Synopsis: When Judge Parker of Fort Smith, Arkansas, sends two US marshals on a routine
prisoner pickup and they never make it to their destination, he sends Marshals Emmet and Jack
Youngblood to find them.
Emmet and Jack (considered two of the best marshals in the West), come upon the dead bodies
of the missing marshals, but their prisoner wagon is not to be found. They follow the tracks left
behind by the heavy wagon to Springfield, Missouri.
In Springfield, the brothers learn that notorious outlaw Joe Foster, wounded in a bank robbery
attempt, was broken out of jail by members of his gang, who disguised themselves as the two
murdered marshals and used the prisoner wagon for his escape. Emmet and Jack return to Forth
Smith, where they gather intelligence on Joe Foster.
Foster comes from a Mormon family in Salt Lake City. After traveling to Utah to see the Foster
family, Emmet and Jack learn that Joe left the Mormons before the Civil War with his friend
Jacob Compton and that the Fosters received a letter from Joe one year ago from Deadwood, in
the Dakota Territory. Now the hunt gets even more dangerous and deadly for the Emmet and
Jack.
Critique: A 'Youngblood Brothers' western from the pen of Al Lamanda under his pseudonym of
Ethan J. Wolfe, "When The Devil Comes A-Calling" is a classic action/adventure western novel
that will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to the personal reading lists
of dedicated western fans, as well as community library Western Fiction collections.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Dashing Through the Snowbirds
Donna Andrews
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250760227, $26.99, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dashing-Through-Snowbirds-Langslow-Mysteries/dp/1250760224
Synopsis: Christmas in Caerphilly is wonderful! Unless you're a Canadian whose inconsiderate
boss is forcing you to spend the holiday there, far from family and friends, with only a slim
chance of a white Christmas.
Meg already has her hands full, trying to make the season festive for the dozen programmers who
are staying with her and Michael while working on a rush project with her brother's software
company. At least it's an interesting project, since the Canadian company is doing forensic
genealogy and DNA analysis.
But when the inconsiderate boss is found murdered, there are too many suspects. Even before
their Christmas in exile, his own employees had plenty of motives, and the growing number of
people suing the company for faulty DNA analysis and invasion of their genetic privacy include
at least one notorious murderer.
Can Meg crack the case in time to keep the Yuletide bright?
Critique: A fun read for all dedicated 'whodunnit' mystery buffs, "Dashing Through The
Snowbirds" by Donna Andrews is the latest Meg Langslow mystery and is certain to be a popular
and much sought after addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. Additionally,
it should be noted for personal reading lists of the legions of Donna Andrews fans that "Dashing
Through The Snowbirds" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Donna Andrews (http://www.donnaandrews.com) has won the Agatha, Anthony,
and Barry Awards, an RT Book Reviews Award for best first novel, and four Lefty and two Toby
Bromberg Awards for funniest mystery. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America,
Sisters in Crime, and Novelists, Inc. Andrews lives in Reston, Virginia. She has written over 30
books in the Meg Langslow mystery series.
The Art Shelf
Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe
Kathleen Ash-Milby, editor
Bill Anthes, editor
National Museum of the American Indian
c/o University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9781933565330, $50.00, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dakota-Modern-Art-Oscar-Howe/dp/1933565330
Synopsis: Oscar Howe (1915 - 1983) committed his artistic career to the preservation, relevance,
and ongoing expression of his Dakota culture. He proved that art could be simultaneously
modern and embedded in customary Ochethi Sakowin (Sioux) culture and aesthetics -- to him as
an artist there was no contradiction.
Howe challenged the art establishment's preconceptions and definitions of Native American
painting. In doing so, he catalyzed a movement among Native artists to express their
individuality rather than conforming to an established style. This legacy of innovation and
advocacy continues to inspire generations of Native artists to take pride in their heritage and
resist stereotypes.
Expertly compiled and co-edited by the team of Kathleen Ash-Milby and Bill Anthes. "Dakota
Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe" is published by the National Museum of the American Indian
in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name. "Dakota Modern" features the most
extensive representation of Howe's artworks to date, and it examines his life as both artist and
educator. Coedited by Kathleen Ash-Milby and Bill Anthes, the catalog also includes
contributions by Janet Catherine Berlo, Christina Burke, Philip J. Deloria, Erika Doss, Emil Her
Many Horses, John Lukavic, Inge Dawn Howe Maresh, Anya Montiel, Denise Neil, and Joyce
Szabo.
Critique: A magnificent coffee-table style volume (9.25 x 1 x 11.25 inches, 3 pounds), "Dakota
Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe" is a visual delight with full color reproductions of Howe's
paintings supported by an informative and insightful commentary. Graceful, elegant, lavish,
"Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe" is especially and unreservedly recommended for
personal, professional, community, college, and university library Native American Art
collections. Indeed, "Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe" would make an excellent choice
for a library Memorial Fund acquisition.
Editorial Note #1: Oscar Howe (Mazuha Hokshina or "Trader Boy", May 13, 1915 - October 7,
1983) was a Yanktonai Dakota artist from South Dakota, who became well known for his casein
and tempera paintings. He is credited with influencing contemporary Native American art,
paving the way for future artists. His art style is marked by bright color, dynamic motion and
pristine lines. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Howe)
Editorial Note #2: Kathleen Ash-Milby is curator of Native American art at the Portland Art
Museum, and the curator of the exhibition Dakota Modern: Tthe Art of Oscar Howe. As
associate curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian she was the
editor of HIDE: Skin as Material and Metaphor (NMAI, 2010) and co-editor of Kay
WalkingStick: An American Artist (NMAI, 2015), with David Penney. Her web page is at
https://portlandartmuseum.org/collection/curators/kathleen-ash-milby
Editorial Note #3: Bill Anthes (https://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/bill-anthes) is a
professor in the Art Field Group at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and the author of the
books Native Moderns: American Indian Painting, 1940 - 1960 (2006) and Edgar Heap of Birds
(2015) both published by Duke University Press.
Wabanaki Modern
Emma Hassencahl-Perley, author
John Leroux, author
Goose Lane Editions
www.gooselane.com
9781773102665, $45.00, PB, 228pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wabanaki-Modern-Kiskukewey-Moderne-Craftsmen/dp/1773102664
Synopsis: The "Micmac Indian Craftsmen" of Elsipogtog (then known as Big Cove) rose to
national prominence in the early 1960s. At their peak, they were featured in print media from
coast to coast, their work was included in books and exhibitions (including at Expo 67) and their
designs were featured on prints, silkscreened notecards, jewelry, tapestries, and even English
porcelain.
Primarily self-taught and deeply rooted in their community, they were among the first modern
Indigenous artists in Atlantic Canada. Inspired by traditional Wabanaki stories, they produced an
eclectic range of handmade objects that were sophisticated, profound, and eloquent.
By 1966, the withdrawal of government support compromised the Craftsmen's resources,
production soon ceased, and their work faded from memory. Now with the publication of
Wabanaki Modern: The Artistic Legacy of the 1960s "Micmac Indian Craftsmen", and for the
first time, the story of this groundbreaking co-operative and their art is told in full.
Accompanying a major exhibition at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery opening in 2022, "Wabanaki
Modern" features essays on the history of this vibrant art workshop, archival photographs of the
artisans, and stunning full-colour images of their art.
Critique: With the commentary presented in three languages (English, French, Micmac), : The
Artistic Legacy of the 1960s "Micmac Indian Craftsmen" is a unique, informative, and critically
important contribution that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community,
and academic library Canadian Art History collections.
Editorial Note #1: Emma Hassencahl-Perley (https://emmahassencahlperley.ca) is a Wolastoqey
artist, curator, and educator from Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation).
Editorial Note #2: John Leroux (https://www.johnleroux.com) is manager of collections and
exhibitions at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
Asian Women Artists
Mary Ellen Snodgrass
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476689258, $75.00, PB, 257pp
https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Women-Artists-Biographical-Dictionary/dp/1476689253
Synopsis: "Asian Women Artists: A Biographical Dictionary, 2700 BCE to Today" by
academician and author Mary Ellen Snodgrass is a comprehensive guide to identifying female
creators and artistic movements from all parts of Asia, offering a broad spectrum of media and
presentation representing a wide variety of milieus, regions, peoples and genres.
Arranged chronologically by artist birth date, entries date as far back as Leizu's Chinese
sericulture in 2700 BCE and continue all the way to the March 2021 mural exhibition by
Malaysian painter Caryn Koh, each entry features biographical information, cultural context and
a survey of notable works.
Covering creators known for prophecy, dance, epic and oratory, the unique compendium includes
obscure artists and more familiar names, like biblical war poet Deborah, Judaean dancer Salome,
Byzantine Empress Theodora and Myanmar freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi. In an effort to
relieve unfamiliarity with parts of the world poorly represented in art history, "Asian Women
Artists: A Biographical Dictionary, 2700 BCE to Today" focuses on Asian women often passed
over in global art surveys.
Critique: A seminal work of simply outstanding scholarship, "Asian Women Artists: A
Biographical Dictionary, 2700 BCE to Today" will have a particular appeal to readers with an
interest in Asian History and Female Asian Artists. A simply fascinating compendium that is
impressive in informational content, organization and presentation, "Asian Women Artists: A
Biographical Dictionary, 2700 BCE to Today" is a valued and recommended addition to
personal, professional, community, and academic library Biography and Art History
collections.
Editorial Note: Mary Ellen Snodgrass (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ellen_Snodgrass) is
an award-winning author of English and Latin textbooks and reference works for 35 years. She
taught at Hickory High School and Lenoir Rhyne University in North Carolina for 23 years. Her
writing focuses on women's and world literature and history and general research topics,
including epidemics, the history of money, clothing, food, and dance.
The Computer Shelf
A Gentle Introduction to Scientific Computing
Dan Stanescu, author
Long Lee, author
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9780367206840, $99.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Scientific-Computing-Numerical-Analysis/dp/0367206846
Synopsis: Scientific Computation has established itself as a stand-alone area of knowledge at the
borderline between computer science and applied mathematics. Nonetheless, its interdisciplinary
character cannot be denied: its methodologies are increasingly used in a wide variety of branches
of science and engineering.
"A Gentle Introduction to Scientific Computing" by Professor Dan Stanescu and Professor Long
Lee intends to serve a very broad audience of college students across a variety of disciplines. It
aims to expose its readers to some of the basic tools and techniques used in computational
science, with a view to helping them understand what happens "behind the scenes" when simple
tools such as solving equations, plotting and interpolation are used.
To make "A Gentle Introduction to Scientific Computing" as practical as possible, the authors
explore their subject both from a theoretical, mathematical perspective and from an
implementation-driven, programming perspective.
"A Gentle Introduction to Scientific Computing" features: Middle-ground approach between
theory and implementation; Suitable reading for a broad range of students in STEM disciplines.
Could be used as the primary text for a first course in scientific computing; An introduction to
mathematics majors, without any prior computer science exposure, to numerical methods; All
mathematical knowledge needed beyond Calculus (together with the most widely used Calculus
notation and concepts) is introduced in the text to make it self-contained.
Critique: An ideal textbook for college/university Scientific Computing curriculums, "A Gentle
Introduction to Scientific Computing" is informatively enhanced with the inclusion oif four
major Appendices, a two page Bibliography, and a three page Index. While also available for
personal and professional reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $99.95), "A Gentle
Introduction to Scientific Computing" is unreservedly recommended for college and university
library collections.
Editorial Note #1: Dan Stanescu (https://www.uwyo.edu/mathstats/people/faculty/stanescu.html)
received his undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Polytechnical Institute in
Bucharest, Romania. He then pursued his graduate studies at McGill University and obtained his
Ph.D. at Concordia University, both in Montreal, Canada. His initial fascination with modeling
fluid flow led him to develop both frequency- and time-domain computational methods for the
study of aircraft noise. His publications include work in aeroacoustics, spectral methods,
stochastic processes and biomathematics. Upon joining the Mathematics Department at the
University of Wyoming in 2003, he directed the Institute for Scientific Computing for six years
and initiated an Interdisciplinary Computational Science Minor program. He has taught a wide
range of courses in applied mathematics and has been developing and using the material included
herein, during the last ten years, for a core class that is part of this Minor.
Editorial Note #2: Long Lee (https://www.uwyo.edu/mathstats/faculty-pages/math/llee.html) is a
Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, USA. He received his Ph. D.
in Applied Mathematics from the University of Washington in Seattle, USA. Before his Ph.D.,
he received a BS in Engineering and an MS in Geophysics.
Artificial Intelligence
Robert H. Chen, author
Chelsea Chen, author
Chapman & Hall
c/o CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781032103471, $120.00, HC, 344pp
https://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Intelligence-Introduction-Inquisitive-Reader/dp/1032103477
Synopsis: With the publication of "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction for the Inquisitive
Reader", co-authors Robert and Chelsea Chen guides their readers through the history and
development of AI, from its early mathematical beginnings through to the exciting possibilities
of its potential future applications.
To make this journey as accessible as possible, the authors build their narrative around accounts
of some of the more popular and well-known demonstrations of artificial intelligence including
Deep Blue, AlphaGo and even Texas Hold'em, followed by their historical background, so that
AI can be seen as a natural development of mathematics and computer science.
As "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction for the Inquisitive Reader" moves forward, more
technical descriptions are presented at a pace that should be suitable for all levels of readers,
gradually building a broad and reasonably deep understanding and appreciation for the basic
mathematics, physics, and computer science that is rapidly developing artificial intelligence as it
is today.
The only mathematical prerequisite for reading "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction for the
Inquisitive Reader" is an elementary knowledge of calculus making it accessible to anyone with
an interest in AI and its mathematics and computer science.
Critique: "Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction for the Inquisitive Reader" is an ideal textbook
for use in curriculums for AI or the History of Mathematics and Computer Science studies in
regard to artificial intelligence. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Artificial
Intelligence: An Introduction for the Inquisitive Reader" is especially recommended for personal,
professional, community, college, and university library AI and Computer Science
collections.
Editorial Note #1: Robert H. Chen is the author of three books in English on Personal
Computers, Liquid Crystal Displays, and Einstein's Relativity, and four books in Chinese on
LCDs & Intellectual Property, Patents, Anglo-American Contract Law, and Technology &
Copyright Law, and many scholarly articles in physics and the law. He has a Ph.D. in Space
Physics and a J.D. in law and is a member of the California Bar. He divides his time between
California and Taiwan with his wife and daughter.
Editorial Note #2: Chelsea C. Chen graduated in physics and computer science from U.C
Berkeley and is a software development engineer at a major tech company in Silicon Valley. She
presently lives in Northern California.
The Archaeology Shelf
Archaeologies of Cosmoscapes in the Americas
J. Grant Stauffer, et al.
Oxbow Books
https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781789258448, $39.95, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Archaeologies-Cosmoscapes-Americas-American-Landscapes/dp/1789258448
Synopsis: "Archaeologies of Cosmoscapes in the Americas" examines how pre-Columbian
societies in the Americas envisioned their cosmos and iteratively modeled it through the creation
of particular objects and places. It emphasizes that American societies did this to materialize
overarching models and templates for the shape and scope of the cosmos, the working definition
of cosmoscape.
Noting a tendency to gloss over the ways in which ancestral Americans envisioned the cosmos as
intertwined and animated, the contributors examine how cosmoscapes are manifested
archaeologically, in the forms of objects and physically altered landscapes. The chapters
comprising "Archaeologies of Cosmoscapes in the Americas" therefore, offer case studies of
cosmoscapes that present themselves as forms of architecture, portable artifacts, and transformed
aspects of the natural world. In doing so, it emphasizes that the creation of cosmoscapes offered a
means of reconciling peoples experiences of the world with their understandings of them.
Critique: Compiled and co-edited by the team of J. Grant Stauffer (a PhD candidate in the
Department of Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis whose doctoral research is
on landscape transformations, mound building, and coalescence at the Cahokia site in
Illinois;
Bretton T. Giles (Assistant Research Professor in the Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
Department at Kansas State University who also serves as KSU supervisory archaeologist at the
Fort Riley Army Installation in north-central Kansas); and Shawn P. Lambert (Assistant
professor of anthropology and senior research associate with the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at
Mississippi State University and who is also a co-editor of the book, New Methods and Theories
for Analyzing Mississippian Imagery), "Archaeologies of Cosmoscapes in the Americas" is
illustrated throughout with line drawings and black/white photographs. Comprised of thirteen
erudite and informative contributions, "Archaeologies of Cosmoscapes in the Americas" also
includes a three page listing of the contributors and their credentials. An exceptionally well
presented collection of scholarly research, "Archaeologies of Cosmoscapes in the Americas" is
an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, college, and
university library Contemporary American Archaeology collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists.
The Road to Kells
Fintan Walsh
Wordwell Books
https://wordwellbooks.com
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781911633266, $30.00, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Road-Kells-Fintan-Walsh/dp/1911633260
Synopsis: "The Road to Kells" is an archaeological study that begins with Mesolithic
hunter-gatherers, who foraged in a forested, primeval landscape, and left traces of a campsite on
a gravel ridge in Cakestown Glebe, by the River Blackwater. It continues, chapter by chapter,
over a span of c. 5,000 years, recording the homes, burial grounds, work and worship of
Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age communities.
The it brings us at last to the threshold of history, in the Iron Age/early medieval transition
period, when we meet agricultural workers on tillage land in Kilmainham, stoking the
cereal-drying kilns that would secure their surplus grain harvest for the winter. Kells was not yet
the seat of a famous monastery at that time but had already become a central place in the region,
with a tribal capital at Commons of Lloyd, on the hill that overlooks the town today.
Critique: An inherently fascinating and impressively comprehensive study of prehistoric
archaeology of the M3 Navan to Kells and N52 Kells Bypass road project, "The Road To Kells"
is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to professional, college and university
library Archaeology collections. Profusely illustrated throughout with full color photography, it
should be noted for personal and professional reading lists that "The Road To Kells" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Fintan Walsh is a Board Member of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland.
(https://infrastructureandtransport.com/speaker/fintan-walsh-board-member-institute-of-archaeologists-of-ireland)
Aerial Atlas of Ancient Britain
David R. Abram
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500024164, $45.00, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Aerial-Atlas-Ancient-Britain-David/dp/0500024162
Synopsis: Drawing on years of travel around Britain's most extraordinary prehistoric sites, David
Abram's some 200 full color aerial photographs comprising his "Aerial Atlas of Ancient Britain"
reveal the ancient wonders hiding in plain sight around the country, from Neolithic tombs on the
Wessex chalklands to Iron Age crannogs in Hebridean lochs.
Breathtaking photos reveal Neolithic enclosures, cairns, and stone circles; Bronze Age villages,
farmsteads, tombs, and burial mounds; and Iron Age hillforts, all captured in spectacular
bird's-eye-view detail. Stone cairns and circles evoke lost rituals and religious ceremonies; Iron
Age ramparts hint at former strongholds; and tangible geographical clues reveal the scars of real
or mythical battles.
The eye-in-the-sky perspective unveils both the unseen forms of these ancestral monuments as
well as their relationship to their wider landscapes, capturing subtle symmetries and forgotten
sight lines. Many of Abram's images have an abstract quality that momentarily disrupts one's
sense of perspective, allowing the shapes carved thousands of years ago to evoke an emotional
resonance -- an experience at once pleasurable and instructive.
"Aerial Atlas of Ancient Britain" is an inspiring way to discover the beauty and history of the
British landscape, revealing the visible traces of our ancestors, from such famous monuments as
Stonehenge to little-known gems that have never before been seen from the air.
Critique: Deftly organized into four major sections (The Palaeolithic & Mesolithic; Neolithic
Britain, The Cooper & Bronze Ages; Iron Age Britain), "Aerial Atlas of Ancient Britain" is
further enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a one page Further Reading bibliography; a
one page listing of Acknowledgments; a one page listing of Illustration Sources, and a three page
Index. Informative, fascinating, unique, "Aerial Atlas of Ancient Britain" is a coffee-table style
volume (9.8 x 1.1 x 10.6 inches, 3.76 pounds) that would be a highly prized addition to personal,
professional, community, and academic library British Archaeology collections.
Editorial Note: David Abram (http://www.davidabram.co.uk) is a writer and photographer who
has traveled the length and breadth of the British Isles, capturing views and researching his
findings. He lives in the southwest of England, near some of the oldest sites of human habitation
in the British Isles.
The Mythology Shelf
The Gods and Goddesses of Greece and Rome
Philip Matyszak
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500024188, $39.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Goddesses-Greece-Rome/dp/0500024189
Synopsis: Who were the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece and Rome? What did they mean
to the people who worshipped them? Although their time of widespread worship is long gone,
the Greek and Roman gods have fascinated and inspired writers and artists for millennia. From
Aphrodite to Apollo, Poseidon to Zeus, these are some of the most recognizable characters in
Western culture, yet there is rich, unknown lore behind these famous figures who regularly
feature in art and writing.
The Greek and Roman gods are enthralling characters in the enduringly powerful Iliad, Odyssey,
and Metamorphoses, as well as in modern retellings like Circe and the Percy Jackson series.
They are immortal and powerful, yet also vain, vindictive, and vulnerable. Moreover, as
manifestations of death, fertility, love, and war, the gods are also our key to understanding how
the Greeks and Romans saw their world.
With the publication of "The Gods and Goddesses of Greece and Rome", Philip Matyszak
presents this pantheon in all their complexity, guiding us from Mount Olympus to the depths of
Hades. Each chapter focuses on an individual god or goddess, beginning with their "biography"
as understood by the Greeks and Romans and exploring the origins of the legends.
Critique: Essential reading for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an
interested in the mythology and classical civilization of Greece and Rome, "The Gods and
Goddesses of Greece and Rome" deftly mixes documented history and legend with vivid re-
tellings of the Greco-Roman myths about their gods and goddesses ranging from stories of
cosmic creation and universal war, to disastrous weddings and freak discus accidents. A
profusely and beautifully illustrated guide to the gods of Greece and Rome, "The Gods and
Goddesses of Greece and Rome" is especially recommended for personal, professional,
community, college, and university library Folklore/Mythology collections and supplemental
curriculum Greco-Roman History studies lists.
Editorial Note: Philip Matyszak (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Matyszak) is the author of
a number of books on classical civilization, including The Greek and Roman Myths, Chronicle of
the Roman Republic, The Sons of Caesar, Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day, Ancient Athens
on Five Drachmas a Day, Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World.
The Architecture Shelf
Pretty Good House
Dan Kolbert, et al.
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
www.taunton.com
9781641551656, $34.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Good-House-Michael-Maines/dp/1641551658
Synopsis: "Pretty Good House" bu the architectural team of Dan Kolbert, Emily Mottram,
Michael Maines, and Christopher Briley provides a framework and set of guidelines for building
or renovating a high-performance home that focus on its inhabitants and the environment -- but
keeps in mind that few people have pockets deep enough to achieve a "perfect" solution.
The essential idea is for homeowners to work within their financial and practical constraints both
to meet their own needs and do as much for the planet as possible. The fundamentals laid out in
the pages of "Pretty Good House" include: A house that's as small as possible; Simple and
durable, but also well designed; Insulated and air-sealed; Above all, is affordable, healthy,
responsible, and resilient.
Critique: Beautifully, informatively, and profusely illustrated with full color photography
throughout, "Pretty Good House" will prove to have a special appeal to non-specialist general
readers with an interest DIY home renovating, home building, and home rebuilding projects. As
informative as it is inspiring, "Pretty Good House" will prove to be an enduringly popular
addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Residential Architecture,
Home Design/Construction, and Residential Sustainability/Greet Design collections.
Editorial Note #1: Michael Maines is a residential designer specializing in energy-efficient
homes, sensitive renovations, and custom kitchens. He is a contributing editor to Fine
Homebuilding magazine.
Editorial Note #2: Dan Kolbert is a carpenter and contractor, and for the past 10 years has been
moderator of the original building science discussion group in Portland, Maine, where the Pretty
Good House idea originated.
Editorial Note #3Emily Mottram is the founder and principal of Mottram Architecture,
specializing in new homes and renovations that are beautiful, functional, comfortable, healthy,
and durable.
Editorial Note #4: Christopher Briley is principal architect at BRIBURN, a firm that designs and
creates spaces that are energy efficient, durable, and environmentally friendly and that enhance
the lives of their residents.
The Photography Shelf
Wildlife Photography
Paul Williams
Hubble & Hattie
www.hubbleandhattie.com
9781787114166, $37.99, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wildlife-Photography-Saving-life-frame/dp/1787114163
Synopsis: "Wildlife Photography: Saving my life one frame at a time" by wildlife photographer
Paul Williams is a unique volume on and about wildlife photography -- including the power it
has to improve physical and mental well-being.
Designed to appeal to a wide range of individuals, from beginners with very little photographic
experience through to those further along on their photographic journey, "Wildlife Photography"
offers a wealth of practical help, tips and insights into the life of a working professional
photographer who uses photography to help deal with Williams' PTSD and the physical
reminders of his various careers as a soldier, physical training instructor, and police officer.
With some general tips and points about equipment, fieldcraft and techniques, "Wildlife
Photography" seamlessly aligns photography with creative suggestions around mindfulness,
well-being and holism to create a blueprint for anyone experiencing poor mental or physical
health, and who would like to express themselves creatively in the natural world. Whether you
want to go into your garden to photograph the wildlife there, or head further afield, "Wildlife
Photography" will empower you to take the next step towards regaining your sense of well-being,
and improve the quality of your life.
Critique: A magnificently beautiful coffee-table style volume (10.45 x 0.86 x 10.56 inches, 3.5
pounds), "Wildlife Photography: Saving my life one frame at a time" is a deep pleasure to simply
browse through one memorable full color (and often full page) photograph at a time -- along with
the inherently informative and thought-provoking text. While also readily available for personal
reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.19), "Wildlife Photography" by Paul Williams
is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community,
and academic library Wildlife Photography collections and supplemental curriculum
Photography Studies syllabus.
Editorial Note: Paul Williams (https://www.paulwilliams.photography) is a full time landscape
and wildlife photographer, who has won a number of prestigious national and international
photographic awards, as well as appearing on national television, and featuring regularly on
radio.
Kilimanjaro: A Photographic Journey to the Roof of Africa
Michael Moushabeck, author
Hiltrud Schulz, photographer
Interlink Books
c/o Interlink Publishing Group
46 Crosby Street, Northampton, MA 01060-1804
www.interlinkbooks.com
9781623718282, $30.00, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Kilimanjaro-Photographic-Journey-Roof-Africa/dp/1623718287
Synopsis: Mount Kilimanjaro is the African continent's highest mountain and the world's tallest
freestanding mountain. It is a geological wonder formed, sculpted, and molded by the natural
forces of volcanic fire and glacial ice. At 19,340 feet (5895 meters) high, Kilimanjaro towers
above the Great Rift Valley and lies 3 degrees south of the equator, on the northern border of
Tanzania, close to southeast Kenya.
Kilimanjaro is an accessible mountain that one can climb without the help of any technical
equipment. The ascent starts from the cultivated lower slopes with dry blistering heat, through a
lush, wet rainforest jungle, into heath and moorland zones, all the way up to the desolate alpine
desert landscape and the steep, exposed arctic summit area, where one will experience
breathtaking views of the legendary snows of Kilimanjaro.
Critique: With the publication of "Kilimanjaro: A Photographic Journey to the Roof of Africa"
author Michel Moushabeck and photographer Hiltrud Schulz take their readers along as they
explore and climb Mount Kilimanjaro. This impressive compendium of commentary and
photographer fully capture the essence of this majestic mountain. Featuring more than 200
full-color photographs enhancing an engaging and entertaining narrative that smoothly ties
together personal observations with the mountain's history, its people, and its ecology,
"Kilimanjaro: A Photographic Journey to the Roof of Africa" is certain to be an immediate and
enduringly popular addition to community and academic library African Travel Photography &
Photo Essay collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of armchair travelers and
photography buffs that "Kilimanjaro: A Photographic Journey to the Roof of Africa" is also
available in a paperback edition (9781566567534, $20.00).
Editorial Note #1: Michel S. Moushabeck is a writer, editor, publisher, and musician. He is the
founder of Interlink Publishing, a 25-year-old Massachusetts-based independent publishing house
and the author of four books including: Kilimanjaro: A Photographic Journey to the Roof of
Africa (Interlink Books, Northampton, Massachusetts & The Armchair Traveller at the
BookHaus, London, 2011) and A Brief Introduction to Arabic Music (Saqi Books, London,
2013). (https://www.arabicfiction.org/en/Michel%20S.%20Moushabeck)
Editorial Note #1: Hiltrud Schulz is also the photographer for "Portugese Home Cooking" by
Ana Patuleia Ortins and The Yogurt Cookbook: Recipes from around the World by Arto der
Haroutunian (https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Hiltrud-Schulz/188554774)
A World Away
Hunter Barnes
Reel Art Press
c/o Distributed Art Publishers
155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10013-1507
www.artbook.com
9781909526877, $39.95, HC, 95pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hunter-Barnes-World-Away/dp/1909526878
Synopsis: The black-and-white portraits and images of cultures and communities by
photographer Hunter Barnes were often ignored by the mainstream but nevertheless are
renowned for their stark beauty.
In 2006, Barnes travelled to Sri Lanka, intending to document the devastating aftermath of the
2004 tsunami. Instead, he arrived amid rapidly increasing tensions in the civil war and a
breakdown of the ceasefire established four years previously. It has taken Barnes more than 15
years to process the experience: "what I lived and felt has been buried far in my mind," he writes,
"sealed shut in a box of film and a journal I am just now able to read."
Spending his time in the Eastern Province, Barnes documented the impact of the resurgence of
the war on the Tamil people. These portraits are accompanied by his handwritten diary entries
from the time and the now published result is "A World Away".
Critique: With the inclusion of informative commentaries throughout, "A World Away" is a
remarkable and inherently interesting compendium of black/white photographs showcasing the
ordinary people of Sri Lanka. "A World Away" will prove to be of special interest to photograph
enthusiasts and recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library
Documentary Photography collections.
Editorial Note: Hunter Barnes (https://www.hunterbarnes.com) is a documentary photographer
whose work captures aspects of culture and communities ignored by the mainstream and often
misrepresented in the modern American narrative.
The Military Shelf
Forts and Roman Strategy
Paul Coby
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526772107, $52.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Forts-Roman-Strategy-Approach-Interpretation/dp/1526772108
Synopsis: With the publication of "Forts and Roman Strategy: A New Approach and
Interpretation", author Paul Coby here proposes a new system for the recording and mapping of
Roman forts and fortifications that integrates all the data, including size, dating and identification
of occupying units. Application of these methods allows analysis that brings new insights into the
placement of these forts, the units garrisoning them and the strategy of conquest and defense they
underpinned.
"Forts and Roman Strategy: A New Approach and Interpretation" presents a new and original
contribution to the long-running debate over whether the Roman Empire had a coherent grand
strategy or merely reacted piecemeal to emerging needs. Although Paul Coby focuses on several
major campaigns in Britain as case studies, he also stresses that his method's are also applicable
to elsewhere in the Empire.
Lavishly illustrated with color maps, "Forts and Roman Strategy: A New Approach and
Interpretation" is also supported by a website and blogs, encouraging further investigation and
discussion.
Critique: Featuring five case studies drawn from Roman military campaigns in Britain, "Forts
and Roman Strategy: A New Approach and Interpretation" includes an informative Foreword (M.
C. Bishop), and Introduction (The Nature of the Roman Army in the First and Second Centuries
AD), two Appendices (Visiting the Sites of the Campaigns; Forts and Roman Strategy), a four
page Bibliography, and a thirteen page Index. A new and fascinating approach to the study of
Roman military history, "Forts and Roman Strategy: A New Approach and Interpretation" will
prove to be a unique and prized addition to personal, community, and academic library
collections and supplemental Roman Military History curriculum reading lists. It should be noted
that "Forts and Roman Strategy: A New Approach and Interpretation" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Paul Coby believes that his experience in digital technology has enabled him to
deploy data analysis and visualisation to the Roman Army's campaign methods and to apply
organizational theory to how the Roman military machine thought. He has always been
fascinated by the Roman Army and how it succeeded in controlling an empire from the
Highlands of Scotland to the deserts of Arabia. He continues to deploy up-to-date data analysis
techniques to Roman forts and campaigns to generate new insights into the mind of the Roman
military machine, now turning to the Roman Limes in Germany and Romania, as well as the
Roman Army's response to Boudica's Revolt and the dense network of forts in Northern
England.
On the Eastern Front at Seventeen
Sergey Drobyazko, author
David Foreman, translator
Greenhill Books
https://www.greenhillbooks.com
9781784387419, $32.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Eastern-Front-Seventeen-Memoirs-1942-1944/dp/178438741X
Synopsis: "On the Eastern Front at Seventeen: The Memoirs of a Red Army Soldier, 1942 -
1944" by Sergey Drobyazko is the true and autobiographical story of a young Red Army soldier
during the Second World War and told in his own words.
Recruited into the army aged just seventeen, Sergei Drobyazko's introduction to battle is a violent
one: forced to retreat from his home city of Krasnodar after it is set ablaze by German forces.
Later, Drobyazko is captured by the Germans and placed in a concentration camp, where
prisoners are reduced to eating scavenged rubbish and bathing battle wounds in urine.
After a daring escape from the camp, he enters Russian military service once more, rising to the
rank of sergeant in an infantry regiment. During this time, he witnesses the execution of deserters
and the routine ill-treatment of German prisoners of war by vengeful Soviet troops. After
surviving an attack that decimates his detachment, Drobyazko is almost court-martialled.
Seriously wounded in 1944, he retrains as a radio operator, but he never returns to the war
front.
"On the Eastern Front at Seventeen: The Memoirs of a Red Army Soldier, 1942 - 1944" is
gripping memoir in which Drobyazko sets down his eye-witness experience of the war as it
unfolded around him. He claims to have consulted no historical sources and to have simply relied
on his own memory, making this a deeply personal account. Translated into English for the first
time by David Foreman for an American/English readership, this unique account will be
especially enjoyed by readers with an interest in World War II history from a Russian
perspective.
Critique: An inherently fascinating and riveting read from first page to last, "On the Eastern Front
at Seventeen: The Memoirs of a Red Army Soldier, 1942 - 1944" is a unique and seminal
contribution to the growing library of World War II memoirs. While also available to the
personal reading lists of dedicated military history buffs in a digital book format (Kindle,
$11.49), "On the Eastern Front at Seventeen: The Memoirs of a Red Army Soldier, 1942 - 1944"
is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university
library collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Reading Hitler's Mind
Norman Ridley
Frontline Books
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781399086271, $34.95, HC, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Hitlers-Mind-Intelligence-Failure/dp/1399086278
Synopsis: Most strongly associated with Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, it is often stated
that Britain's policy of appeasement was instituted in the 1930s in the hope of avoiding war with
Hitler's Nazi Germany. At the time, appeasement was viewed by many as a popular and
seemingly pragmatic policy.
With the publication of "Reading Hitler's Mind: The Intelligence Failure that led to WW2",
author Norman Ridley (an Open University Honours graduate and a writer on inter-war
intelligence) sets out to show how appeasement was not merely a naive attempt to secure a
lasting peace by resolving German grievances, but a means of buying time for rearmament. By
the middle of the 1930s, British policy was based on the presumption that the balance of power
had already dramatically shifted in Germany's favor. It was felt that Britain, chiefly for economic
reasons, was unable to restore the balance, and that extensive concessions to Germany would not
satisfy Hitler, whose aggressive policies intensified the already high risk of war.
The only realistic option, and one that was clearly adopted by Neville Chamberlain, was to try to
influence the timing of the inevitable military confrontation and, in the meantime, pursue a
steady and economically sustainable program of rearmament. Appeasement would 'buy' that time
for the British government.
Crucially this strategy required continuously updated and accurate information about the strength,
current and future, of the German armed forces, especially the Luftwaffe, and an understanding
of their military strategy. Piercing the Nazis' veil of secrecy was vital if the intelligence services
were to build up a true picture of the extent of German rearmament and the purposes to which it
might be put.
The many agents, codebreakers, and counter-espionage personnel played a vital role in
maximizing the benefits that appeasement provided -- even as war clouds continued to gather.
These individuals were increasingly handed greater responsibility in a bid to inform British
statesmen now scrambling to prepare for a catastrophic confrontation with Germany.
In "Reading Hitler's Mind", Ridley reveals the remarkable efforts made by the tiny, underfunded
and often side-lined British intelligence services as they sought to inform those whose role it was
to make decisions upon which the wheels of history turned.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, informative, and iconoclastic study, "Reading Hitler's Mind:
The Intelligence Failure that led to WW2" is a thoughtful and thought-provoking read. A unique
and exceptionally well researched study, "Reading Hitler's Mind: The Intelligence Failure that led
to WW2" is a welcome and recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and
academic library World War II history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It
should be noted for students, academia, and military history buffs that "Reading Hitler's Mind:
The Intelligence Failure that led to WW2" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$18.99).
Luftwaffe Fighter Ace
Norbert Hannig, author
John Weal, editor and translator
Grubb Street
www.grubstreet.co.uk
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781911667223, $22.95, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Luftwaffe-Fighter-Ace-Eastern-Homeland/dp/191166722X
"Luftwaffe Fighter Ace: From the Eastern Front to the Defense of the Homeland" by Norbert
Hanning (and edited/translated by John Weal) is the personal story of a Frontflieger, or
operational pilot who flew in World War II as one of the many rank and file German pilots
fighting for their country and not for the Fhrer. But his wartime career makes for fascinating and
highly informative reading on an aspect of the 1939-45 war not often covered in the English
language; primarily that of the campaign against the Soviet Union.
Norbert started flying during high school on gliders and joined the German Air Force as
volunteer and officer cadet, one of the midwar-generation of Luftwaffe fighter pilots. He began
operations with JG54 on the eastern (Leningrad) front in March 1943; initially he flew
Messerschmitt Bf 109s before transitioning to the Focke-Wulf FW 190.
After a year's fighting, he was ordered back to Germany as a flight instructor to oppose the
bomber streams of the AAF and RAF. Returning to Russia at the end of 1944, he became a
Staffel CO and claimed many aircraft shot down. In April 1945 he converted to the first jet
fighter, the Me 262, in south Germany, and flew his last missions with this aircraft. Also serving
with JV44 (whose CO was Adolf Galland), Norbert Hannig finished the war with 42 victories
from more than 200 missions. Many and varied were his experiences in action against the
rejuvenated Soviet Air Force in the east, and the powerful western Allies over the homeland
during the final chaotic months of hostilities, which culminated in his captivity.
John Weal's skillful translation ensures that the fluid descriptive style of the author is preserved.
Thankfully, also, Norbert was a keen photographer who shot a profusion of images, all
previously unpublished, many of which appear in this important book.
Critique: An invaluable and special contribution to the growing library of World War II histories
and memoirs, "Luftwaffe Fighter Ace: From the Eastern Front to the Defence of the Homeland"
is a fascinating, informative, and recommended addition to personal, community, and academic
library collections. Two other additions from this simply outstanding and highly recommended
World War II Luftwaffe military aviation series include "Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot: Defending The
Reich Against The RAF And USAAF" (97819118667292, $22.95, PB) by Wolfgang Fiescher,
and "Luftwaffe Eagle: A WWII German Airman's Story" (9781911667308, $22.95, PB).
The Cactus Air Force
Eric Hammel, author
Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, author
Osprey Publishing
4301 21st St, Suite 220B, Long Island City, NY 11101
www.ospreypublishing.com
9781472851079, $30.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cactus-Air-Force-over-Guadalcanal/dp/1472851072
Synopsis: For 40 years from 1961, the late Eric Hammel interviewed more than 150 American
participants in the air campaign at Guadalcanal, none of whom are still alive. These interviews
are the most comprehensive first-person accounts of the battle assembled by any historian. More
importantly, they involved the junior officers and enlisted men whose stories and memories were
not part of the official history, thus providing a unique insight.
The battle of Guadalcanal was the first offensive operation undertaken by the US and its allies in
the Pacific War. "Cactus," the code name for the island, became a sinkhole for Japanese air and
naval power, experienced forces whose losses could never be made good. The three months of air
battles between August 20, 1942, when the first Marine air unit arrived on the island, and
November 15, when the last enemy attempt to retake the island was defeated, were perhaps the
most important of the Pacific War. After November 15, 1942, the US never looked back as its
forces moved across the Pacific to the war's inevitable conclusion.
Publishing "The Cactus Air Force: Air War over Guadalcanal" is a joint project between the late
Eric Hammel and Pacific War expert Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, and is unlike any other of the
many histories of this event that have been published over the years.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader's benefit with maps, a section of black/white historical photos,
a two page Glossary, and a nine page Index, "The Cactus Air Force: Air War over Guadalcanal"
is an extraordinary an singularly invaluable series of American military eye-witness accounts of
one of the major battles in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. While also available for the
personal reading lists of dedicated military buffs in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.60), "The
Cactus Air Force: Air War over Guadalcanal" is an enduringly important and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library
World War II collections in general, and 20th Century American Military Aviation History
reading lists in particular.
Editorial Note #1: Eric Hammel (June 29, 1946 - August 25, 2020) was one of America's leading
military historians with more than 40 well-received books published over a 50-year career. His
previous books on the Solomons campaign, Carrier Clash, Carrier Strike, Decision at Sea, and
Starvation Island, are among the leading authoritative sources on the subject due to their
extensive use of first-person testimony.
Editorial Note #2: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver has been a published writer for the past 45 years
with his most recent work, Going Downtown (2022), being the latest addition to his best-selling
Osprey titles The Frozen Chosen (2016), Pacific Thunder (2017), Tidal Wave (2018), Holding
the Line (2019), MiG Alley (2019), and I Will Run Wild (2020). During his 30 years as a
screenwriter in Hollywood, he wrote the cult classic The Terror Within and worked as a
supervising producer on a number of TV and cable series. He served in the US Navy in
Vietnam.
The Christian Studies Shelf
Jesus in Art and Literature
Pierre-Marie Dumont
Distribution General
c/o University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9781639670062, $50.00, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Art-Literature-Pierre-Marie-Dumont/dp/1639670068
Synopsis: Throughout history, Jesus of Nazareth has unquestionably been an inspirational subject
for great works of art and literature. His life and message have strongly permeated Western art of
all periods, influencing giants such as Fra Angelico, Picasso, Tolstoy, and Houellebecq.
With the publication of "Jesus in Art and Literature", Pierre-Marie Dumont has chosen nearly
one hundred eclectic iconographic works of art, analyzing and comparing them to passages from
the Bible and excerpts from great literary texts. Richly illustrated, "Jesus in Art and Literature"
offers the reader an extraordinary variety of aesthetic interpretations of the life of Jesus and his
teaching, from early Christian to modern art. Through works as diverse as The Hand of God by
Auguste Rodin, The Resurrection of Lazarus by Rembrandt, and the "Hidden God" by Blaise
Pascal, Mr. Dumont highlights the evocative power of the figure of Jesus, who for Christians is
the "Christ of God."
Critique: A simply magnificent and impressively informative coffee-table style volume (9.33 x
11.25, 1.79 pounds), "Jesus in Art and Literature" by Pierre-Marie Dumont is ably translated into
English by Michael J. Miller and an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal,
church, community, and academic library Christian Studies and Art History collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Editor and author of many books about art and spirituality, Pierre-Marie
Dumontis (https://www.magnificat.net/foundation/about_us.asp) the creator and founding
publisher of Magnificat, a monthly Catholic magazine with a readership of 500,000 in the United
States and editions in five other languages throughout the world. The preface is by Edwart
Vignot, an art historian specializing in 19th-century painting, as well as an author, journalist,
visual artist, and videographer. Appointed an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2016, he
notably wrote Eugene Delacroix (Place des Victoires, 2017) and L'aquarelle et ses maitres (Place
des Victoires, 2018).
The Pets/Wildlife Shelf
The Naturalist's Companion
Dave Hall
Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134-1161
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680515763, $19.95, PB, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Naturalists-Companion-Observing-Understanding-Wildlife/dp/1680515764
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Naturalist's Companion: A Field Guide to Observing and
Understanding Wildlife", Dave Hall fills an important void in outdoor education by teaching
readers how to become more learned and patient observers and, ultimately, more proficient
naturalists.
Through exhaustive time in the field, Hall has developed a comprehensive understanding of
nature awareness and refined his skills to enhance any time spent outdoors and to foster closer,
more respectful encounters with wildlife. Through personal anecdotes and detailed explanations,
Hall teaches the principles and ethics of stealth walking, calling, tracking, interpreting basic
animal behavior, and much more. Each chapter concludes with a list of exercises, prompting
readers to study and put these skills into use, while introductory sections discuss gear, safety,
ethics, and thoughtful engagement.
"The Naturalist's Companion" will deepen readers' connection with the outdoors and help them
to establish and maintain consistent, intimate, and informed wildlife observations.
Critique: Impressively illustrated with full color photography in support of an informative text,
"The Naturalist's Companion: A Field Guide to Observing and Understanding Wildlife" is an
inherently fascinating and practical guide that will prove to be of special value for readers with
an interest in observing North American wildlife in their native habitat. Of special note is the
Introduction (Why Observe Wildlife), a two page listing of Sources & Resources, and a seven
page Index. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "The Naturalist's
Companion: A Field Guide to Observing and Understanding Wildlife" is especially
recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library North American
Wildlife collections.
Editorial Note: Dave Hall (www.davehalloutdoors.com) is the founder of Primitive Pursuits, a
youth-focused nature awareness program offered in partnership with Cornell Cooperative
Extension of Tompkins County, New York. He has worked as a naturalist and guide in
Massachusetts and New York and has served as an instructor with the Adirondack Mountain
Club, the State University of New York at Cortland, Cornell Outdoor Education, and Ithaca
College. Dave is also the co-author of Winter in the Wilderness: A Field Guide to Primitive
Survival Skills.
The Native American Studies Shelf
Dancing for Our Tribe
Sharon Hoogstraten
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9781733674423, $80.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Our-Tribe-Potawatomi-Millennium/dp/173367442X
Synopsis: In the heyday of the Anishinaabe Confederacy, the Potawatomis spread across Canada,
Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Pressured by the westward expansion of the fledgling
United States of America, they became the most treatied of any Indian tribe. Forced removals and
multiple treaty-era relocations resulted in cultural chaos and an enduring threat to their
connections to the ancestors. Despite these hardships, they have managed to maintain (or restore)
their rich heritage.
Beginning with Citizen Potawatomi Nation, photographer and Citizen Potawatomi Sharon
Hoogstraten visited all nine nations of the scattered Potawatomi tribe to construct a permanent
record of present-day Potawatomis wearing the traditional regalia passed down through the
generations, modified to reflect the influence and storytelling of contemporary life. While the
silver monochrome portraits that captured Native life at the turn of the twentieth century are a
priceless record of those times, they also contribute to the impression that most Indian tribes exist
only as obscure remnants of a dimly remembered past.
With more than 150 formal portraits and illuminating handwritten statements, "Dancing for Our
Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium" by Sharon Hoogstraten portrays the fresh
reality of today's Native descendants and their regalia: people who live in a world of assimilation,
sewing machines, polyester fabrics, duct tape, tattoos, favorite sports teams, proud military
service, and high-resolution digital cameras.
The Potawatomi nations have merged loss and optimism to reinforce their legacy for generations
to come. Children and young adults learn from the elders the old arts of language, ribbonwork,
beading, and quillwork with renewed urgency. Preserving Potawatomi culture, tribal members
are translating traditional designs into their own artistic celebration of continuing existence,
lighting the path forward for the next seven generations.
"Dancing for Our Tribe" illustrates vividly that in this new millennium, "We Are Still Here."
Critique: A simply magnificent coffee-table style volume (9.75 x 1.25 x 13 inches, 4.9 pounds),
"Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium" features full page, full
color photography of men and women in full and authentic regalia enhancing an impressively
informed and informative commentary. A monumental and seminal work of meticulous
scholarship, no personal, professional, college or university library Native American Studies
collection can be considered comprehensive or complete without a copy of "Dancing for Our
Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium" on their shelves. Community libraries
should note that this superb hardcover edition of "Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition
in the New Millennium" would be ideal as a Memorial Acquisition selection.
Editorial Note: Photographer Sharon Hoogstraten (https://www.hoogstratenphotography.com)
spent a decade portraying contemporary Potawatomis in regalia and as an unexpected dividend,
discovered her own roots. A Michigan native, she traveled to Chicago for graduate study and
then stayed having no clue that she was literally walking in the footsteps of her Potawatomi
ancestors. Beginning with Citizen Potawatomi Nation, her home reservation in Shawnee,
Oklahoma, she called on all nine nations of the scattered Potawatomi Tribe -- traveling to
Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, and Kansas. Hoogstraten previously published Green City
Market: A Song of Thanks, a pictorial retrospective of the groundbreaking farmers market that
boosted Chicago's culinary reputation as a nationally acclaimed food destination. Sharon resides
in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.
The Folktale/Fairytale Shelf
Into the Fairy Hill
Michael S. Newton
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476690025, $39.95, PB, 276pp
https://www.amazon.com/Into-Fairy-Hill-Folktales-Highlands/dp/1476690022
Synopsis: Headstrong heroines and hot-tempered chieftains, loch monsters and hill fairies, cattle
raids and clan feuds, wise animals and foolish saints: the Scottish Highlands' folktales date back
centuries and preserve the history and beliefs of a people deeply rooted in their land and
culture.
Oral traditions connect the modern world with the hearts and minds of Scottish Highlanders
across the ages, bringing their world to life in vivid detail. With the publication of "Into the Fairy
Hill: Classic Folktales of the Scottish Highlands", Professor Michael S. Newton anthology makes
available new and approachable translations of folktales from the Scottish Highlands and Nova
Scotia, providing extensive commentary on this rich storytelling tradition.
Each story is annotated with information about its origins and any insights into its meaning. The
original Scottish Gaelic texts, collected from a wide variety of rare and obscure sources, are
provided in an appendix.
Critique: An impressively work of seminal scholarship that further documents Professor Michael
S. Newton as North America's premier expert on Scottish folklore and mythology, "Into the Fairy
Hill: Classic Folktales of the Scottish Highlands" also includes four pages of Notes, a four page
Bibliography, and a two page Index. A seminal contribution to Scottish Folklore/Mythology
literary studies, "Into the Fairy Hill: Classic Folktales of the Scottish Highlands" is unreservedly
recommended for professional, community, college, and university library collections. It should
be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject that "Into the Fairy Hill: Classic Folktales of the Scottish
Highlands" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.99).
Editorial Note: Michael S. Newton (https://independent.academia.edu/MichaelNewton) was an
assistant professor in the Celtic Studies department of St Francis Xavier University in Nova
Scotia from 2008 to 2013. He has written a multitude of books and articles about Gaelic culture
and history and is a leading authority on Scottish Gaelic heritage in North America.
The Egyptology Shelf
Treasures of Egypt
Annk R. Williams, editor
National Geographic Press
101 West 104th Street, Suite 8, New York, NY 10025
www.nationalgeographic.com
9781426222634, $50.00, HC, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/Treasures-Egypt-Photographs-Pyramids-Cleopatra/dp/1426222637
Synopsis: Drawing from National Geographic's unparalleled photo archive, the images
comprising "Treasures of Egypt: A Legacy in Photographs From the Pyramids to Cleopatra" have
created a breathtaking coffee-table style volume (9.75 x 1.25 x 11.25 inches, 1 pound)
celebrating the vibrant beauty and rich cultural heritage of Egypt on the 100th anniversary of the
discovery of King Tut's tomb.
Egypt's rich history astonishes us again and again with priceless treasures, exquisite
craftsmanship, and a bounty of artifacts that enables us to envision the past with extraordinary
detail. It is an epic saga 5,000 years in the making, and one that National Geographic has covered
for more than a century.
"Treasures of Egypt: A Legacy in Photographs From the Pyramids to Cleopatra" portrays the
hallowed country's most remarkable achievements, viewed through decades of discovery
chronicled in National Geographic magazine. From the breathless opening of King Tut's tomb in
1922 to the astonishing find of perfectly preserved boats, entombed for eternity near Giza's
pyramids, here is the story of a proud and dynamic empire that changed the world; its colossal
architecture and imposing statues force us to re-think the engineering limitations of the world
before modern tools were available.
Documenting a series of incredible discoveries that includes a complex of royal graves filled with
dazzling gold artifacts at the ancient city of Tanis, intriguing clues to the life and times of
Cleopatra, and newly uncovered traces of Alexandria, Abydos, and other fabled sites, "Treasures
of Egypt: A Legacy in Photographs From the Pyramids to Cleopatra" embodies the culture's most
fascinating historical milestones.
Critique: With the publication of "Treasures of Egypt: A Legacy in Photographs From the
Pyramids to Cleopatra", students, academia, Egyptologists, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the subject are treated to a visual wealth of vivid full color photographs,
informatively revealing time lines, and inherently interest profiles of major explorers in the
archaeological field of Egyptology. A delight to browse through on fascinating page at a time,
"Treasures of Egypt: A Legacy in Photographs From the Pyramids to Cleopatra" is unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library
Egyptology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: General Editor Ann R. Williams specializes in writing about the ancient world
and cultural heritage preservation. As a writer for three decades at National Geographic magazine
and digital news, she reported on new discoveries and the latest research in archaeology around
the world.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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